A/N: Thanks for the outpouring of support for Carver and Arika. In response, I promise two more stories on the pair. This will make the Grey Year a trilogy! The Grey Return will be posed shortly after I am done with this story. That will deal mostly with Carver, Arika, Alistair, and Loki. Followed shortly by the final chapter Grey Avatar, which will feature the return of a familiar face into Carver's world. Thank you again for all your support. You're all amazing!

Chapter 14: The Seals

The pride demon fell.

Garrett sighed with exhaustion; he glanced over at his friends to make sure they were all still fine. Everyone looked a little worse for wear, but all still lived.

He nodded, so far they had been fortunate.

The Pride demon had been bound to a nexus of power, likely one of the seals that held this place. The creature had drawn deeply from that magic, making it stronger; it had even been able to copy itself to a limited degree. The false demons died quick, but they could still cast powerful spells themselves.

Destroying the beast now made the magic that it drew from available to Garrett.

He approached the seal, the fonts felt familiar, like the staff that the ghoul had called a key.

Garrett approached the first.

"Easy Hawke," Isabela warned him, "Do you even know what those magically…things will do to you?"

"They are part of the staff, Isabela," he informed her, "I…I think my Father recharged these with his magic, I can feel his power here."

The pirate queen frowned.

"Just be careful," she warned, "None of us want to see you turn into one of those monsters," she said pointing at the remains of the demon.

He smiled slightly.

It was nice to know she cared.

Hawke reached out with the staff. His Father's magic flowed into it, flowed into him.

Garrett gasped; the sensation was a heady one. It was more than just Father's power here; he sensed the echo of many mages, many who must have come before…

How long had the wardens maintained this place?

The fonts drained quickly, leaving Garrett Hawke breathless.

The ghoul appeared out of nowhere.

"The blood works," he said thoughtfully, nodding in greeting, "It is good…very good."

Garrett gave him a look.

"All this talk about my blood is getting a little creepy," he said dryly.

The old warden ignored him, he stood before the now empty font, his eyes were sad.

"Two thousand years," the old warden sighed, "So long have we held this place, kept our secrets, binding him with the blood and the magics."

Garrett turned to him, all this mysterious cryptic stuff was starting to get very old.

"I don't suppose you have a name?" he asked, "I can't just keep calling you…mysterious ghoul, or tainted fellow."

The man turned to him; he seemed confused by Hawke's question.

"My name," he said thoughtfully, "So… long since I have said my name, heard it uttered…I…I…"

He seemed lost for a moment, trying to push back the music, to find the memories he had once held.

Memories that had been all but destroyed by the song, the tainted warden shifted uncomfortably, but then…then, it came to him.

"My…name…I…Larius, my name was Larius," he smiled pleased that he was finally able to break through, he faced one of the old warden tapestries, the white griffon, so much a part of his life.

"I…there was a title too," he continued, "Co…Commander…Commander of the Grey."

Lin's eyes widened.

"I thought he looked familiar," the elf said.

Fenris gave her a questioning look.

"There are many portraits in our base in Ansburg," she informed him, "I…I remember seeing a Commander Larius's, it…it hung just next to the main hall of the fortress."

Carver found himself looking closer at the man, Lin…she was right he realized. The man may have been tainted, but he looked the same.

This was one of the old warden commanders.

Carver could not help but feel sorry for the man, after so many years of humble service…

To end up like this!

Arika felt, reassured by this, her time with the wardens had drilled into her a sense of loyalty to her commanders. They had come here seeking answers.

Here was someone who could give them some.

"Commander, forgive me," she said bowing respectfully," But what is this place, what was its purpose?"

Larius's eyes turned cold.

"To hold him," the old warden replied, "to keep him hidden, but he does not remain quiet for long."

"You mean Corypheus?" Carver asked.

"Do not say his name," Larius spat, "He will hear you, even though he sleeps. He can still hear!"

The young warden shook his head, he still did not understand.

"If he is asleep then how can he order the Carta to attack us?" Carver asked, "Why are they even helping him? It is not like he can reward them for their service."

Larius shuddered, the monster could offer only one reward, death…that and false promises.

All sent through the music…the accursed music of the calling!

"The song," Larius replied, "He dreams, and as he dreams…he sings…sings…like an old god. He has learned to mimic their cries. He called to them, the dark children and the light. He calls them to free him from his prison, from his slumber."

Songs, children, slumber, all this cryptic stuff was starting to give Garrett Hawke a headache. All he wanted was for this bastard to stop sending people after his family, and to escape this place.

He was starting to fear that the two were closely linked.

"What is Corypheus?" Garrett asked; he ignored the old warden's wince at the mention of the name, "Is he a demon, darkspawn…is he human?"

"Not a demon," Larius responded, "but more than darkspawn, and far more than human. He is the voice in the dark. He…"

The old warden gripped the sides of his head, he whimpered in pain!

"No, he…he hears me," the man sobbed, "I must get away…follow the path…down and in! The only way to escape is through his death!"

Larius fled again, vanishing into the darkness.

Isabela sighed; she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"This was such a bad idea," she said, "Hawke, the next time you ask me to come along on one of these little adventures of yours, remind me of this, so I won't be stupid enough to join you."

Garrett grinned at the pirate queen.

"You would probably still come," he informed her, "You would not want me to face such dangers alone, and besides," the apostate smiled, "How else would you be able to say I told you so later?"

Isabela pursed her lips; the sad thing was…she was afraid that he was right. She…she would not have wanted him to come here alone. She would have worried about him, about not being able to defend him. Once, she only looked out for herself, and she was fine with that, since she met Hawke however, since the two of them began…whatever it was they had…

She had started to worry.

She had started to care!

That thought scared her more than the creatures that were loose down here.

Andraste save me, she thought, what is happening to me?

IOI

Another pride demon fell, and with it…another seal.

Fenris wiped the demon blood off his blade. Being down here…knowing that the wardens had played with such things!

The very idea sickened him.

They were no better than the magisters!

"Master Fenris?"

He turned, Lin stood before him, she at least had the decency to be ashamed, to know that her order had created this horrible place.

"What is it?" he said harshly.

Her ears twitched, she was clearly intimidated by him, but she did not back down.

"You are injured," she said softly, her voice so quiet…so very shy.

She pointed to his arm.

He looked down, a small trickle of blood ran from apiece of stone lodged in his arm, the lyrium of his markings interacted with the blood, making it burn.

He winced painfully.

"It is nothing," he said dismissively.

"Let me help you," she offered, "I have…"

"I need nothing!" He spat.

Still, she did not back down, she frowned.

"Then let Hawke heal you," she said.

"I do not need his magic, or the witch's," Fenris said stubbornly.

"Then let me help."

He stared into her copper-colored eyes, the archer did not back down. She had faced down bandits, bounty hunters, and city guards.

She would be damned if she let one handsome elf put her off her game.

Realizing that he would not win this argument, he finally nodded.

She stepped forward, inspecting the injury.

She gently touched the stone.

"This…will hurt," she warned him.

"I am no stranger to pain," he replied, "Do it."

She nodded, while he found himself staring deeper into those reddish brown eyes.

She pulled the stone free.

Fenris gasped, he fought to stay still, to let the warden finish her work.

She washed out the wound with water, checking to see if she missed any of the stone, seeing none, she pulled out a small vial of salve.

"What is that?" he asked.

"Healing herbs mixed in the proper dose. They grow near the waters of my village," she replied, "They will disinfect the wound."

She poured the substance on his arm, carefully rubbing it into the wound. It burned like fire for a moment, he hissed but that was all.

He continued to stare into her eyes; she did not meet his gaze, too focused on her work.

They were, he thought, pretty eyes, pretty eyes on a pretty, yet capable woman.

She laid some dried leaves on the wound, they would aid in the healing process. Once done, she wrapped it in a clean bandage.

She stepped back, to let him admire her work.

HE tested the arm; the burn was down to almost nothing now.

He nodded…pleased with her work.

"An excellent field dressing," he said.

"I've had a lot of practice lately," she said with a wry grin.

A hint of a smile tugged at his own mouth, but stopped.

"Hey elves," Varric shouted, if you two are done holding hands, the rest of us want to move on."

Both stepped away from each other, both feeling slightly embarrassed, they glared at Varric.

He smiled and gave them a little wave.

"Would you mind terribly if I stuck an arrow in his gob?" she asked.

"I would have no problem with that," Fenris shrugged, "But Hawke might, so best you not try."

Lin snorted.

"Can I at least shoot him dirty looks?" she asked.

Fenris smiled.

"Go right ahead," he replied, "I do it all the time."

Lin laughed lightly.

The sound pleased Fenris.

Varric believe that he could not be amusing; that he was just a…what had Varric called him…a broody elf?

What did the dwarf no anyway, he could be amusing…for the right reasons, and…

For the right people.

Broody elf indeed.

IOI

The tower came to an end; they found themselves at an old dwarven elevator leading down.

Carver glanced down the shaft.

The construction below looked like an old dwarven thaig, not part of the original tower complex.

The main tower, the one that held Corypheus's prison was at the far side.

Carver reached out with his warden senses. He could sense the taint down there, but that was not all.

The aura of old magic was thick in that place, old and very dark.

The young warden shuddered, normally he would not advise any of them going down there.

Sadly, they had no choice; the final seal was down there somewhere.

The wardens warned the others to take another dose of the anti-blight potion. The taint would be thick down there. Carver could sense a large number of darkspawn, and what might have been tainted animals as well, spiders and deep stalkers and the like.

He shivered.

Carver did not like spiders all that much and he really had come to hate deep stalkers as well. The white wormy little creatures had a vicious bite and spat venom at their prey.

He had stumbled into a nest of them one time, back when he first joined the order; his fellows never let him forget.

Nice one Charity, Arika had said, "I you trying to get yourself killed.

The memory brought up old anger, not the smartest thing considering how loud the song had become.

It had begun promising him things. It offered him his dreams, a life free of the taint, a life of power and glory, a life with Arika at his side.

All he had to do was bring his brother's blood to Lord Corypheus.

Su ha simple thing, with so much to gain!

NO!

Carver shook his head, damn the taint, he thought, and damn the accursed calling.

He would not give in to this…whatever Corypheus was.

Carver Hawke was no one's pawn.

He tried to focus, to use the meditations that Brother Nigel had taught him; they would help him resist not only the mind control of mages, but of darkspawn as well.

At least…he hoped they did.

They all stepped onto the elevator.

It began to lower, deeper down, deep into the thaig.

Into the very depths of the deep roads.