HOLY PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES, IT'S A CHAPTER OF HEED THE CALL!
I could sit here, and give you the thousand-and-one excuses for why this story dropped off the map. Instead, I'll just tell you what brought it back. I recently got a new PS3, losing all my previous DAO saves. I began a new Cousland playthrough (and by "new" I mean copying my old one exactly), so that I could import the save when I started replaying DA2. Within minutes of starting the game, the desire to poke at Heed the Call came flooding back. Writer's block that seemed so insurmountable was easily overcome.
I am in a better place in my life than I was back then, and I feel like my desire to write and create and imagine again is proof of that. Hope you enjoy :) And thanks for sticking with me, all you readers. And if you're new...welcome :)
Thanks to JacksAreWild for helping me tidy up :)
Sigrun wiped her nervous, sweaty palms against her leathers. It didn't help much; it just kind of spread the moisture around. She tried to breathe evenly, to not let anyone know how terrified she was. They couldn't know; everything was resting on her. She was the only hope they had.
By the Stone, that was horrifying. She needed to not think that again.
"Sigrun," the King asked quietly, "which one next?"
She forced herself to look up at him, and to wipe all traces of doubt from her face. Dust and dirt danced in the flickering light off the lantern he held, casting his patient features in moving shadows. The light bounced off the ceiling of the tunnel they'd created and seemed to get tangled up in his hair.
The sight of the tunnel's ceiling helped to ground her, remind her of who and what she was. She may have been just a duster once, but that didn't make her any less of a dwarf. Born and raised in Orzammar. Casteless yes, so she was no engineer, but that didn't mean she didn't know her stone.
Keystones. It was all about the keystones.
Normally, they go last while making an archway. But in tunnel collapses, they were already in place, or poised to fall just enough to become keystones. Just find them, and the stones relying on them, and remove the rest. Simple…really.
"Sigrun," the King repeated gently.
"Right, sorry," she muttered. Forcing herself to focus, to just go with her gut instinct, she looked at the mass of wall in front of them. She let her eyes wander, falling into the cracks and crevices between the rocks, pooling into them like the shadows. "There," she said, pointing. "That's the next keystone." She turned, looking over her shoulder. "Do you see?"
The elephant behind her looked where she pointed, and then stepped forward. It wrapped its trunk around a stone nearer to the floor, and then turned slightly, glancing back at Sigrun.
"That one's fine," she said, smiling slightly.
With a mighty pull, the stone was removed. Sigrun held her breath for a second, and she could feel the King next to her, doing the same. The roof held, not a single stone even twitched.
The elephant passed the stone backwards, down the waiting line of the herd. A seemingly endless line of behemoths, all the way back to the tunnel's entrance. The stone disappeared down the makeshift bucket brigade of trunks. Back to the outside world, to air and sunlight.
"Glad you know what you're doing," the King said dryly.
Sigrun giggled nervously, and turned her eyes back to the stone.
Nathaniel stood, arms crossed. His fingertips drummed against his skin repeatedly, to the point where he'd lost feeling in the bit of skin he was tapping against. That didn't get him to stop, though. He had to do…something, and apparently that was all the release his body was going to get.
He stared into the depths of the tunnel, memorizing all that he could see, until the light penetrated no further, and his eyes saw nothing but black. He watched the play of the elephants' muscles beneath their skins, until their forms melded into the darkness. The ever-growing nearby pile of removed rubble changed shape with every additional stone.
Sigrun was in there. Finding keystones. If the tunnel went, there would be no way for her to escape. She'd never make it past the elephants in her way. Not to mention, she was so deep in there by now, it didn't matter much. Even with a clear shot, she'd never make it.
His fingers clenched against his arm
"How are you doing over there, Nathaniel?" the Commander asked, her tone slightly amused.
"Fine." He released his fingers' tension on his arm, and watched the half-moon nail marks fill with blood.
"Sure," she agreed. "Why don't you come sit down with me?"
"I'll be a pretty terrible bodyguard if I sit down."
"You're a pretty terrible bodyguard as it is, since you're staring into that tunnel," she pointed out.
Nathaniel hung his head, and turned to face his blood-soaked, pregnant Commander. "Not funny," he said, "considering that's what got us into this mess in the first place."
She raised an eyebrow as her expression grew stern. "Not that again, Nathaniel. Even if it were your fault, which it's not, I think it's safe to say you've made up for it."
"Nothing I can ever do will make up for this."
"Nathaniel," she said sharply. "Sit. Down. Now."
"But I-"
"I am surrounded by elephants, not to mention a golem," she snapped. "I'm not exactly concerned for my safety." The Commander pointed into the depths of the tunnel. "You are thinking about Sigrun. That's perfectly all right, but my composure can't handle you looming like a thunder cloud and worrying about our friends and keeping the communication open between the elephants and Sigrun. So, sit down!"
His legs folded, and he half-sat, half-flopped to the ground.
"Thank you," she said. "Every cool head we can manage is appreciated."
Nathaniel glanced around him. Isabela was pacing near the edge of the jungle, as far away from the elephants as she could get. She would occasionally glance at the tunnel, then turn away quickly, as if she couldn't bear the sight of it.
Aednat sat near the wall of rubble, hands clasped in her lap, staring listlessly into space. The stranger, Liam, sat near her. He rubbed her back in soothing, repetitive circles. Nathaniel couldn't be sure if Aednat noticed his presence or not. The golem stood near the edge of the forest too. But not because it was agitated by anything going on. It was actually being a bodyguard, scanning the forest for movement.
Jacob lay next to the Commander, his head draped in her lap. He stared up at her in pure adoration, as if he could lay there forever and his life would be complete. The Commander absently stroked his fur.
"I'm sorry," he finally managed.
"For?" she prompted, still glaring at him.
"For being unhelpful," he answered quickly. She had clearly had enough of his opinions about her kidnapping. He supposed he'd just keep them to himself from now on.
She gave him a small nod.
He let out a relieved sigh. At least she wasn't glaring at him anymore. Unconsciously, his eyes drifted back to the tunnel, peering into the shadow again, as if he could will Sigrun into sight.
"Do you know what I see?" the Commander asked softly.
He turned to her, and saw the distant look on her face. "What?" he answered quietly, not wanting to distract and yet wanting to hear more than anything about what was going on.
Her eyes lost focus a little bit more, but her hand never stopped moving across Jacob's body. "Stone," she said after a few moments. "Stone everywhere." Her forehead wrinkled a little as she frowned. "They don't like it, it's not natural. Stone above their heads. Stone on either side. This is no place for any creature to live. They almost cannot bear it." Her face softened. "This small one, smaller than the rest. The one born in darkness, who reads the stone. They see how she could live there. She shines, like a dark sun. If all her people are like this, it is no small wonder they can dwell in the darkness."
Nathaniel stared at the Commander, scarcely daring to breathe. He knew it was her talking, translating. And yet it felt like he was hearing something else speak, something he'd never heard before, and that something was sitting right in front of him sharing its secrets.
Her mouth curved in a wide grin. "The one who reads the stone is kind and brave. She is smaller than the rest, and yet she fears us not."
The answering smile on Nathaniel's face faltered a bit. He didn't know if it was good that the Commander had switched from saying "they" when she spoke of the elephants to "us".
"We hear pounding," she said, tilting her head to the side like she was listening to something along with them. "Pounding hearts. Heart beats, coming through the ground. We are there-" She wrenched her head around to stare at the jungle with unseeing eyes. The elephants near the entrance to the tunnel had also turned to face the jungle. They raised their trunks up, and with great inhales, pulled huge whiffs of scent in.
The Commander sniffed along with them, as if she shared their senses. Her eyes narrowed as she peered into the dense foliage. Jacob raised his head, his own nose twitching. He got to his feet with that eerie mabari grace as a growl soared out of his throat.
Nathaniel watched the dog's fur raise on end before he found his voice. "Commander?"
Isabela's voice came from behind him. "And just what could possibly be going wrong now?"
"Commander," Nathaniel said more firmly. If he couldn't get her to tell them what was going on, they'd be caught sorely unprepared for whatever it was. The ground beneath his feet suddenly seemed to shake. He crouched low in panic. Was the fortress collapsing more? Sigrun-
He lurched to his feet, only to realize the ground wasn't moving at all. What he'd thought was an earthquake was the elephants. Those near the entrance were…rumbling. The sound was so vast and deep, it pulsed through the ground like tremors.
"Your Majesty?" asked the stranger, Liam. He'd pulled Aednat to her feet, and come over to the Commander's side. He reached out to touch her.
"Don't," Nathaniel said, drawing a dagger before he could stop himself. He didn't know this man. The Commander may say he was a friend, but she wasn't herself at the moment and couldn't vouch for him.
"Howe," snapped Aednat.
"Being careless was what got her into this mess. I'll not make that mistake ever again," he countered.
"She was like this is the fortress," Liam said, his eyes hot with anger as he faced the Warden. "When she was talking to the elephants. She wouldn't answer when I called."
"She's not talking to these beasts!" Isabela hissed, waving an arm at the nearest members of the herd. "Look at them! They're all looking at something in there. And even if you're thick enough to miss their body language, the mutt is spelling it out pretty bloody clear, isn't he?" Isabela backed away from the jungle, drawing her blades. She spat out a string of curses. "Whatever's on the way, I'd wager it's not bringing tea."
"Lorelai," Liam said, grabbing her arm before Nathaniel could stop him.
She gasped and blinked her eyes as they lost their faraway look. She reflexively grabbed Liam's arm, clinging to it like a lifeboat in a raging sea.
"What is it, Commander?" Aednat asked, coming to her other side.
"There are animals coming," she said, not taking her eyes off the jungle. "Too many kinds, it's not normal."
"Well, gather them under your spell! Isn't that what you do?" Isabela sneered, but her wild eyes made her jibe weak.
"Oh yes, let me just control the herd while I also rein in some other creatures," the Commander shot back, glaring. "If it's so easy, pirate, then you do it!"
"I didn't come all this way to get eaten, pretty Queen-"
"Don't call me that," the Commander snarled, snatching her hand away from Liam's arm in a spasm. Everyone flinched and Isabela took a couple steps back. Nathaniel could see a sheen of sweat had burst across the Commander's face, and her eyes had gone dark.
Muttering blackly to herself, the pirate turned back to the jungle, fingers flexing in jerks on the hilts of her blades.
Shooting a glance at Aednat, Nathaniel cleared his throat. "I don't suppose there are any fluffy rabbits coming, hmm?"
"Andraste's skirt, Nathaniel." The Commander barked out a laugh. "Did you just manage to make a joke?"
"Perish the thought, my lady," he replied.
She let out another laugh that could've been a sob, then shook her head. "No."
"Can you sway them? Not control them, but warn them off?" he asked. "I know you're doing a lot, but," he lowered his voice, "I'd hate to have to kill them in front of you. I know that would…hurt for you to see."
She swallowed, her throat bobbing. "Thank you for that. I'll try." She gave Isabela a look. "I'm going to have one of the elephants come near me. That all right with you?" But her tone indicated she wasn't asking permission in the slightest.
Isabela barely looked back, keeping her eyes on the massive foliage. "Whatever, just…keep it away from me."
One of the elephants stepped forward, approaching them with distance-shrinking strides. Nathaniel couldn't help but scramble back a few paces. Liam and Aednat did the same. Only Jacob stood his ground, the growl still dripping from his curled lips. The Commander draped her arm around one of the animal's tree trunk legs, resting her hand against the flat surface of a toe nail.
Maker's breath. Its toe nail was just about the size of her palm.
"Any helpfulness from you, golem?" Isabela asked.
The golem didn't even turn to acknowledge that it was being spoken to. "Perhaps it and its squishy body see a reason to panic and flap its easily breakable arms about, but until something appears that needs crushing, I don't see what comments need to be made."
"I don't know much about that creature, so I won't jump to conclusions, but is it normally that disturbing?" Liam asked Aednat.
"Yes," Isabela grunted. "All the bloody time."
"Oh," Liam said. "I suppose that's…comforting."
Alistair swallowed as the giant creature, standing crammed into a makeshift tunnel of very old and collapsed stone, the head of a long line of other giant creatures blocking any swift escape attempt out of said tunnel, fairly vibrated with tension beside him.
"What's going on?" Sigrun whispered.
"No idea," he answered tightly. He turned around, trying to see out the front of the tunnel. Light could be seen toward the end, so it wasn't like all he could see was darkness or anything. But the mass of bodies filling the tunnel made it impossible to see outside. He gave a thought to shouting for Nathaniel, but that seemed like a bad idea, considering their close quarters. If the other Warden would even be able to hear him. He assumed that if Lorelai were in danger, the elephants wouldn't be just standing here. They'd be rushing outside in a wave of gray muscle and strength.
Still… It wasn't exactly comforting. The one in front had ignored Sigrun's last helpful advice about the next stone to take. Instead, its whole presence had, well, gone. It was like they were standing next to a particularly lifelike statue of an elephant.
"How close are we?" Sigrun asked.
At first, Alistair just blinked at her. Then he shook his head. Right, Anders' shield. He was supposed to be keeping track of it. And he had been, really. Until all the oddness had started. He focused, re-opening his templar senses like he would part a curtain.
The presence of the shield blazed to life in his mind, like a sunbeam. "We should be just about there."
"Then I'm just going to…" She stepped gingerly around the elephant, lifting one of the stones with a grunt. She passed it to Alistair, who nearly dropped it and his lantern in surprise.
"Ah, OK." He put down the lantern and the rock, and didn't argue as Sigrun passed him another, and another, and another. He piled them against the wall, as out of the way as possible. There was a decent amount of room, for now. Depending on how much they had to move themselves, without the help of Lorelai's friends.
Sigrun let out a little yelp of pain, and cradled her hand against her chest.
"You all right?" Alistair asked, trying to worm his way around the huge, inert beast in the way.
"Yeah, I just hit my hand on something," she turned to look into the hole she'd made, narrowing her eyes intently, "that was not rock."
Alistair turned his templar senses the same way he'd turn a lantern to direct the light. To him, magic poured out of the hole Sigrun had made as if the dwarf had unstopped a fountain. "You did it," he whispered.
"What?" she asked sharply, turning to stare at him.
"They're right there," he said, a huge grin breaking out over his face.
"Ha!" Sigrun burst out. "Well, come on!" Quickly, without another thought for the frozen elephants behind them, they shifted enough of the stones to reveal the gleaming surface of a magical shield. It wasn't the entire front of it, just a hole in the mass of stones. But a hole large enough to crawl out of, definitely.
Leliana's face appeared on the other side, and it was like looking at the bard through the surface of a lake. But the relief and joy on her face was abundantly clear.
Lorelai came rushing back to her body with a gasp. Her fingers dug into the elephant's foot, trying to ground herself. It bore the assault tolerably. Fear rushed her tongue with a metallic taste, and hatred came on its heels quickly. She wished she were a mage, so she could raise Gilmore from the dead and kill him again.
One last trick, one last plan to make sure she suffered.
"What is it?" asked Nathaniel.
"The animals that are coming, they're sick. They've been poisoned," Lorelai explained numbly. "Traps were laid for them with tainted meat."
"Tainted? Like, they're blighted?" he demanded.
"No." She shook her head. "Blighted I could control. No, a poison crafted just for me." Her lips twisted in rage and disgust. "It's made to drive them mad, and to make it impossible for a ranger to control them."
"So, they're meat-eaters and they're insane?" Isabela snorted.
"They've been drawn to all the commotion we've been making," Lorelai said with a nod. "I can't control them, and I can't warn them off. They're completely beyond me, and they're coming." She slid her eyes in a glance at the pirate. "They'll be coming for blood."
"It'll be all right, Commander," Nathaniel assured her. "Unpleasant, but all right."
Isabela snorted again. "You lot, what is it you think we're about to tangle with here? It's not going to be wolves and bears. In case you've forgotten, we're not in your precious, barbarian homeland." She licked her lips nervously. "It's going to be much worse than that."