A/N: I am entirely too addicted to writing this, but this chapter is rather boring. Anyway, we shall be done with Seheron in less than 8 chapters or so (I hope).

Thanks for reading and subscribing and reviewing!

Chapter 13:

Some spelunking to do.

Kiera

My armor was ready, my pack was—well— packed, and so I did my best to slip off, unnoticed, out of the qunari compounds. I didn't need a map this time; I knew where the taint was. East. But first, there was one stop to make—the Tevinter slaver camp. The Veil had to be sealed. But when I arrived, the atmosphere seemed less… hostile. The rags of the tents and the forlorn piles of rubble were all that remained of the place, a reminder of the destruction that had been recently unleashed, but the air itself was stable. Odd. Not a wisp of the chaos I had unleashed upon the place could be felt. Something, or someone, had stabilized the area. Powerful magic indeed.

It was then I realized that I had been followed, the telltale pinprick on my back definitely belonged to a qunari. I truly did not expect Sten to have trailed me this far.

"What are you doing here?"

"Accompanying you, kadan."

"It's alright; this is Grey Warden business that I can handle on my own. It's not a Blight, after all."

"You are delving into the unknown. And I will guard you, kadan." Sten looked determined to stay, regardless of what I said.

"I cannot risk anyone from your people, if you get infected…" I had the materials needed for one Joining— but I sincerely did not want Sten to be a Grey Warden. The odds for success were unreliable. Men who were once thought to be strong enough to handle the taint could die, and I… had no faith in uncertain things. I would not gamble with his life I could avoid it.

"I merely choose the way that I think is best." At least I got to fight with him by my side again. I suddenly realized that I had missed that feeling, of fighting in unison with another at my side. But he wasn't the only one who had tracked me from the qunari compounds.

"Is that why you've led the karashok along?" Sten turned, looking over his shoulder at the troops. He seemed surprised—and I wondered why he had not discovered them sooner.

"It is not wise for so many to follow me," I murmured to Sten. The Blight was one thing; we had three wardens in the same party, and these extra eyes were always valuable in any ambush. Here, the thick feel of magic in the air muddled my Warden senses, and I felt almost torn, more by the pull of lyrium than anything, there was certainly a large deposit of it somewhere nearby. It certainly explained the reasons for Tevinter interests in the region.

"It is their decision to make, I do not command them."

Even my own voice sounded exasperated. The heat was unbearable while encased in this heavy platemail. "Sten…"

"It is done, Warden."

"What—? Never mind that. We should be wary. There is something close by." The karashoks followed with little hesitance, their fecklessness in following me was quite unprecedented. This change that I had wrought upon them was indeed more permanent than I thought.

xOxOx

Sten

We arrived at the approximate location of the underground entrance; as directed by the kadan's ability to sense the darkspawn— this was the reason I was sent to investigate the Blight in Ferelden— the sudden appearance of the creatures in Seheron had interested the arishok. It was a situated in the middle of a large plain, the ground barren and darkened by fire, though there was no sign of any living thing—human or otherwise.

Right outside the entrance there seemed to be encampments, but nothing like the brazen large tents of the slave camp. It seemed as if that those who had been in the area had met with an unfortunate accident— the large black stains of bloodshed and miscellaneous gore coloured the soil.

"The Veil has been sealed in this area too. Curious. But much lyrium was used to do so." The kadan murmured, to no one in particular. She seemed wary, and had motioned the karashok to tread as lightly as they could when they investigated the camp. Traps remained in the region, it seemed.

I alone followed her, "So this was not caused by blood magic?"

"That would have torn the Veil even wider, for demons would not allow such a thing when the contrary was easier. At least, theoretically speaking. Why would demons even allow the rips to be closed?"

"You are unsure?"

"That, and there are traces of lyrium all about the place— these are barely spent, but not harmless."

"I will alert the karashok." They seemed cautious enough, unwilling to touch anything without a direct order. It seemed that the kadan was indeed successful in making them nervous about the dangers of following a Grey Warden.

"Well, this is it— the entrance. It doesn't seem as if there are darkspawn on the surface, however." She paused, seemingly taking in the stillness of the place.

"Still, one can't be too careful. I'll set a trap behind us."

The karashok followed us deeper into pit, and watched as the kadan blatantly flaunted her magic, carving some runes into the bedrock that was exposed by the stairs carved directly into the ground.

Mutters rose, and a collective sibilant 'Saarebas' was heard.

The karashok were horrified. But it was too late for them.

"Anyone has problems about my being a mage?" The kadan mused, eyeing them with hands on her hips.

"You do not have a karataam. It follows that you are open to the taint." This was the taint of the demons, the very same threat presented by the Tevinters and their spells.

The kadan was unimpressed by his flustered explanation. She had faced the same allegations even from before the Blight. I would assume that she was bored by them by now. "I told you not to follow me, didn't I?"

"That is a different matter. You deceived us. We are now soiled by your influence."

She sighed, and shouldered on into the tunnel. She apparently was not in the mood to deal with their sudden change of heart. They had no choice but to follow, or face certain death in the Qun. Even I would face the judgment of the antaam too, if this fact were ever revealed.

The kadan was listening, as best as she could, her manner alert, similar to how she was during the Blight. Even her breathing slowed to a silence; a remarkable thing in the heat of the day.

We came upon a man in the tunnel, hidden in an alcove, unconscious. He was wearing the robes so favoured by the bas, the blue of the material indicating his status as a magister's assistant, though these were stained by long-dried blood.

"He is alive, Warden." The karashok had checked for vitals before she and I could stop him. One did not simply touch everything one saw in the tunnels.

She focused her gaze on the unconscious man— at least, she tried to. Something bothered her—this I could tell. "He is a Tevinter mage. We should tie his hands, just in case."

The kadan seemed distracted, allowing the karashok to simply bind the mage, and leaving him at the entrance of the site. It was not our duty to protect this Saarebas.

She continued on ahead, and as I drew closer to her I realised that she was muttering rapidly to herself, swords sheathed so that her fingers could brush against everything in sight. Despite her initial worries, the route seemed safe, given her sudden reckless curiosity.

"We should head on."

P.S.: Next chapter will be a bit... late. But there'll be more action! Way more.