The sound of birdsong woke Sereda up the next morning.
Opening her eyes she took in her surroundings. They appeared to be in small village, presumably Chasind. It was abandoned and the smell of rotting flesh covered the place.
Morrigan, in her human form, was sitting a couple of feet away staring south, through the mountains. As she watched the south, a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"Morrigan?" Sereda sat up.
"Oh, you're awake," Morrigan turned around to face her, wiping the tear away. "I was beginning to think you would never wake."
"What happened? Where are we?"
"I understand you are curious. Last night we escaped from an old, very old, Elven Castle. It was built in the time of Arlathan.
"Right now, we are in a Chasind village that was sacked in the last Blight."
"Tell me everything that has happened since you left me on Fort Drakon."
"It's a very long story. After you defeated the Archdemon, I felt an odd feeling in my womb. Urthemiel. I ran. I flew. I tunnelled. I went to Orlais, where I planned to give birth to the baby. But something went wrong.
"One night I was preparing dinner, when I was ambushed by darkspawn fleeing from the slaughter in Denerim. I disposed of them easily enough, but a Hurlock managed to touch my abdomen. The foetus was corrupted and the abomination you met was the result.
"My baby grew and learnt at an unbelievable rate. By the time she was one week old she could speak, walk, run, fight, anything an adult could do. Her body also grew into that of a seven year old. Since then she hasn't grown, as she finds the form convenient."
"Why?"
"No man could bring himself to kill a young girl."
"Ah."
"Well, this… child drew the darkspawn towards her, including the Architect, who was forced to serve her, for if he refused, she would reverse all his work. All the darkspawn would become mindless beasts again. I don't know how, or even if, she had the power to do that, but the Architect seemed to believe her.
"She created strongholds in the Deep Roads and the Korcari Wilds. Then she destroyed Orzammar and Kal Sharok. In both instances the Architect tricked the nobles, promising them their cities back, but instead destroying them."
Then Sereda remembered. Bhelen!
"My brother Bhelen was captured by Urthemiel! We should have rescued him!"
"We cannot go back. It's a death-trap to go back there."
"I understand." Sereda grumbled reluctantly.
"It was only a matter of time before she killed me. I heard her giving orders to the Architect. Apparently I was a liability and needed to be disposed.
"After that she began the mining for her brethren. Within a couple of months, Razikale, Dragon of Mystery, and Lusacan, Dragon of Night, will be free and the end of the world will begin."
"Is there a way to stop this?" Sereda asked.
"Unless we can stop the war between the Wardens and the Chantry, I don't think so."
"Then we know what we have to do."
Sereda and Morrigan flew out of the Korcari Wilds at dusk, three days after their escape from Urthemiel. They were heading towards Redcliffe, where they hoped to warn Teagan, the new Arl, of the Darkspawn forces to the south.
When they arrived, soldiers were closing the gates for the night. It was, understandably, quite a shock when a giant eagle landed in the courtyard with the Warden Commander on its back.
The soldiers led her and a, now human, Morrigan through to the Arl's Throne Room.
Teagan was waiting.
"Warden!" he exclaimed, rising from his throne. "How did you escape from the Divine?"
Sereda explained all that had happened since her return to Orzammar.
"Oh, Maker," Teagan sighed. "Alistair has already marched with all our forces to Tevinter. He will have reached the Silent Plains by now. Its too late to call our forces back."
The three of them were silent in thought for a few minutes.
"We have to abandon south Ferelden." Teagan observed. "Morrigan, how long will the mining for the two Archdemons take?"
"A month, two if we are lucky."
"If we abandon everywhere south of Denerim, the troops Alistair left behind should be sufficient for the defence. We'll need Anora's say so before we can organise an evacuation, though. Could you two fly to Denerim?"
"Yes, but we cannot start before tomorrow morning, my mana is depleted severely. It would take no longer than eight to twelve hours to get there." Morrigan said.
"Of course, I will arrange for two rooms to be prepared, but it will take a while for the beds to be made. Will you two dine with me and Isolde? Eamon would be present but he is staying in Denerim."
"Of course." they both accepted hastily, thoughts of grand feasts and banquets making their famished stomachs rumble.
One hour later, Sereda had nearly finished her main course, spaghetti bolognaise.
"How is Connor, Isolde?" Sereda asked.
The four of them had silently agreed not to talk about the darkspawn.
"Connor loves zee Circle," Isolde answered. "Heez tutor haas told mee that hee izzz a natural with spirit spells. Heee wonze cast a forzefeeeeld speel on one of heez friendsss and eeet woz soooo powerful zat ze first eeenchanter heemseeelf had to reeemove eet!"
Morrigan raised her eyebrows. "Even I cannot do that. How old is the boy?"
"Heee izz thirteeeeen."
"He is a very powerful mage. He could be very useful to the defence if the worst comes to the worst."
"Lets not speak of such things now." Teagan said.
"I think that I shall be going to bed now. Morrigan?" Sereda ate her last bite and stood.
"Of course, I will need my energy for tomorrow." Morrigan stood.
That was when it happened.
A crossbow bolt whizzed out of a dark, shadowy corner of the dining room.
Time seemed to slow down. Teagan saw the bolt and dived between Sereda and it. Thankfully it only got him on his thigh.
Immediately sixteen genlock assassins appeared from every imaginable place. From cupboards, from dark corners and even from under the dining table.
Isolde screamed and was immediately shot, so not to alert the Redcliffe Soldiers.
Morrigan jumped into action, freezing genlocks left, right and centre. With a whirl of her staff half of the genlocks fell asleep. Sereda drew Voice of Velvet and Rose's Thorn and slew several of the assassins.
When it appeared that all the genlocks were dead, Sereda knelt next to Teagan and slathered a health poultice over his wounded thigh, then ran over to Isolde.
The woman was laying in a pool of her own crimson blood.
"Are you alright?" Sereda asked frantically.
"Tell Connor zat I love heeem," Isolde said, her voice hoarse and shuddering.
"No! Morrigan can heal you… Can't you, Morrigan?"
Morrigan ran her eyes over the dying woman. "It is impossible, that bolt went straight into her heart, she has seconds."
"Tell Eamon also… zat I… love… heem…" Then she died.
"Sereda…" Morrigan said, with a hint of fear in her voice.
"What is it?" Sereda asked without turning around.
"The genlocks… they're moving."
Sereda whirled round.
The sixteen genlocks that had been killed had come back to life. It was shocking. Sereda had killed them, watched them take their last breaths, and now look! They were as fit as ever!
"Teagan, run!" Sereda ordered. "Get soldiers! Morrigan, stay with me…"
The genlocks ran forward. Sereda stabbed two in the heart, chopped the legs off one of them and hacked the arm off of another. It was no use. The genlocks just stood back up and attacked again.
Now Morrigan froze a few, crushed some with huge boulders and electrified the rest. She may as well have flicked them for all the damage it done. The genlocks resisted the spells easily.
Where were the guards? If they didn't have back up, they would have to run.
"Morrigan! Run!" Sereda exclaimed.
Morrigan didn't need telling twice. The two women fled into the throne room, barring doors physically and magically as they went.
"Warden!" A voice exclaimed behind them.
Sereda turned round, it was Ser Perth, with half a dozen knights.
"Ser Perth," Sereda cried. "What are you doing in here? You should have came and helped us."
"I am sorry, milady," Ser Perth said apologetically. "But there are more of them, much more! They're all over the castle! They won't die! I lost half our garrison in the initial attack and now there's only us left."
He gestured at the knights.
"Where is the Arl?" Sereda asked.
"He got out through the windmill entrance and is getting militia from the village to help." Perth explained.
"Is there any weakness these things have exhibited yet?" Morrigan asked.
"Nothing certain so far, but they avoid fire like the plague." Perth explained.
"Right," Sereda said. "Is there a way to get out of here? If we have an exit, then Morrigan can burn the place down."
"So far as we know, there are no darkspawn in the cellars, we could escape to the village!" Perth exclaimed.
"Lets go then!" Sereda cried. "Morrigan, douse the place in oil."
Morrigan raised her staff and whirled it in a complicated pattern.
Oil, freezing cold, dropped from the ceiling soaking everything except, curiously, the gaurds, Sereda, Morrigan and Perth.
The six of them dashed to a door that lead down to the cellars. Suddenly, darkness engulfed them, and for a few moments they stumbled blindly down cold, hard stone steps. When they looked back they saw Morrigan's silhouette, black against a flickering orange glow that was now coming from the corridor they had been in.
"I'm coming, just two seconds! I need to put some glyphs around the door! These darkspawn are going to have a nasty surprise! I'll catch you up in a minute. Go on!" she called.
Sereda nodded and turned and ran into the darkness with Perth and the gaurds.
That was the last time she ever saw Morrigan.