"All blood runs red"
The Wardens fought their way through the castle. It was an arduous journey back out into the courtyard, but when Ser Perth and his men had joined them it made the battle all the more bearable.
Together, the Wardens and the knights made their way to the great hall of Arl Eamon.
When rushing in, they all came to a sudden halt. The two groups stood wide eyed, watching an enthralled Bann Teagan dance around for a clapping Connor.
Two lines of guards stood behind Connor, seemingly entranced by some spell. Isolde cowered behind him, terrified of her own son.
When Connor saw who had entered, he shouted at Teagan.
"Cease your antics, jester." The boys voice was dark and unnatural, and it sent chills up everyone's spines.
Connor cocked his head to the side, "So these are the intruders you warned me about, mother?"
"Yes, Connor." Isolde said meekly, wiping fresh tears from her face.
"These are the ones who killed my soldiers, the ones I sent to reclaim my village?" Connor questioned.
"Yes." Isolde whispered.
"Interesting," Connor scratched his chin, "Step forward intruders."
Only the Wardens continued forward. Eshne eyed Teagan, who was babbling in the corner behind Connor like a fool.
"What are they, mother?" Connor asked, his snake-like eyes never blinking.
"They're elves, Connor. You've seen them before."
"Ha!" Connor clapped his hands, "The weak little things I threw to the dogs. What fun they had."
"Connor, please, don't hurt anyone." Isolde pleaded.
Connors eyes changed, returning to their once dark blue color. His voice was his own.
"Mother?" He looked around frantically, "Mother, what is happening to me?"
Isolde was hysterical, "Thank the Maker! Connor, my sweet baby boy, please!"
Connor pushed her away, once again snake eyed.
"Get away, fool woman!" He demanded, "You are beginning to bore me."
Eshne nudged Nennet, "This boy is clearly possessed by some sort of demon, though I can't say which. We can't know for sure what slipped through when he tore the veil."
"You!" Connor shouted, pointing at Eshne, "Red one, come to me."
Eshne grasped her staff and moved forward. Nani went to pull her back but Eshne kept going. She stopped just in front of the the possessed boy.
"What have you done to Bann Teagan?" Eshne demanded.
Connor chuckled, "I like him better this way. He's always yelling. So full of himself. I must admit I did find it extremely riveting when he became angry with mother. Oh how she whimpered when he discovered what I was." He then sniffed the air, "You smell like the Fade. It seeps from your pores. Have you been home?"
"Don't play the fool, demon," Eshne said, "You see I'm a mage."
Connors snake golden eyes twinkled, "More than that, Dreamer. I know you. Mouse spoke of you. He's been searching the Fade for longer than I'd like to say." Then he pouted, "He misses you. And I can see why."
"Connor!" Isolde shrieked.
Connor only rolled his eyes, "The woman irritates me. I am confined in the body of this fool boy. Would that I could, yours seems better suited for what I need."
Eshnes lip curled in a snarl, "After I sent you back to the Fade, you tell Mouse I'll not be taken so easily."
Connor seemed amused, "A fight it is then?"
"Steel yourself, evil thing," Eshne snapped, "We've come for the Arl."
"A disappointing turn of events, surely," Connor said, "If you are merely concerned well-wishers, I bid you welcome to my home." He extended his arms, "Father is keeping well for the time being. Don't you think, Mother?"
"I-I don't...think." Isolde stammered.
"No you don't and that's the why I deserve rule of Redcliffe." Connor snapped, then turned his attention back to Eshne, "You however, are much more fun than this hag. You spoiled my takeover of the village, but that doesn't mean I don't get to enjoy watching you die."
At the snap of his fingers, the guards behind him sprung to life. Eshne had blown them back with fire, at the same time not realizing Connor sent Teagan after her. Nani froze Teagan in place just before he swung his sword into Eshnes head.
The Wardens fought off the guards, all the while Connor slipped away to the upper floor. Though the Wardens were exhausted, with the help of Ser Perth and his men they easily subdued the enchanted guards.
They tried their best just to render them unconscious, and when it was all over Nani reluctantly unfroze Bann Teagan. He fell to the floor, his entire body riddled with frost. Eshne ran over to him to help him to his feet.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Yes," He nodded, "My mind is my own now."
"Blessed Andraste," Isolde cried from her corner, "What a fool I am!" She stood up, racing over to Alistair, "Do not let them kill my baby boy. He's not responsible."
Alistairs eyes glazed over, watching the woman who hated him begging at his feet. He was at a loss for words, and was glad Nennet said something first.
"Your baby boy just summoned the undead and slaughtered nearly an entire village." she said angrily, "You knew about this."
"Yes!" Isolde said, "I believed I could save him, I still do."
"A demon has taken your child, ny mage would tell you he's now an abomination." Nani told her.
"It was that mage!" Isolde yelled, "That mage made my child do this!"
Eshne rounded on her, "You knew the risks of hiding your boys magic. Your child tore the Veil and summoned a demon all on his own."
"He just wanted to help his father." Isolde started to sob.
"Where is the mage you spoke of?" Teagan asked.
"In the dungeons left to rot in his own filth." Isolde hissed.
Melia spoke up before Eshne could, "There was no mage when we passed through the castle."
"He should be executed!" Isolde looked to Ser Perth, "Find him and bring him to me!"
"You cannot blame Jowan for this!" Eshne was livid.
"Eshne-" Nani glared at her sister.
Eshne pointed her finger at Isolde, "You had him tortured for something he didn't even do. You call yourself an Andrastian but did your pious martyr not advocate for the freedom of mages?"
"You knew Jowan?" Isolde asked, eyes widened, "You let him escape?"
"You're damn right I did." Eshne spat.
"Enough!" Melia commanded, "The matter at hands is that your son is possessed by a demon, Lady Isolde. Like it or not you brought this on yourself but what's done is done. We need to figure out how to remove this demon and subsequently stopping the attacks on Redcliffe."
"Melia is right," Nennet said, "Our main focus is removing the demon so that it may lose its hold on the Arl."
"My husband was poisoned." Isolde said.
"Connor clearly summoned the demon to keep his father alive." Nani explained, "Any fool can see that."
"Your secrecy has led to this, Isolde," Teagan told her, "You know this. And if Connor is truly an abomination-"
"He's not!" Isolde said wildly, "He still has the gentle boy inside of him. I know you've seen it. I just want to protect him."
"That's what started this, Isolde. You wanted to protect him from what he is." Teagan said to her.
"I just wanted to keep him from the mages…"
"And now you may have no choice." Nani said, "If you truly want your son to live you will need the help of a mage."
"You two are mages, help him." Isolde pointed to Nani and Eshne.
Eshne only scoffed, "Even if I could you would need an excess amount of lyrium to channel into the Fade. The only way to do it without the lyrium is…" She stopped herself.
"What?" Isolde asked, "Don't deny me my son."
"She means blood magic, Lady Isolde." Nicolai finally spoke, "Draining the life essence would equal the lyrium needed. But it would completely destroy the vessel."
Without hesitation, Isolde cried out, "I will do it! Just please give me my son!"
"Absolutely not!" Melia silenced her, the vein in her temple visible, "Blood magic is not an option and I will not allow it especially around your child. A son needs his mother."
"The Circle of Magi will have the supply of lyrium we need." Alistair suggested, "And it's a day journey from the village."
"What if something happens in the meantime?" Teagan asked.
"I am willing to risk that chance." Melia told him, "Buy us time and we will get you the help you need. We can send Morrigan up from the village to keep an eye on the boy."
Alistair scoffed, "She'll love that."
"We'll start out immediately while we still have the day." Melia said.
The Wardens began to leave when Nennet went to Ser Perth and whispered.
"If anything happens while we're gone, you must do what needs to be done." She said, "Lady Isolde is no longer qualified to act on behalf of a demon."
Ser Perths face went grey, but he nodded, "Understood."
Nennet pulled herself away to join the Wardens as they left the throne room. She shielded her eyes from the noon sun as they entered the courtyard. In the light she could see they were all completely exhausted from non-stop fighting. She raced up to Melia.
"We need to rest." She said.
Melia shook her head, "We will march until nightfall. Then get a few hours. But we cannot delay."
"Look at us, we're barely hanging on as it is, Melia. Eshne and Nani have gone off more times than I can count today and I know it's because we're all sleep deprived. We're all at our wits end." Nennet said.
"We need to make ground cover, and I will not hear more of this." Melia said, "We make our way to the Circle tower until nightfall and then we will set camp. That little boy is struggling with a demon inside of him and I will not have him suffer any further than he needs to." She quickened her pace to get away from Nennet.
Back in the village, Melia instructed Morrigan and Sten to keep an eye on the castle, and consequently Connor. Leliana chose to stay in the village to help ease the burden of loss among it's people.
The Wardens set out immediately after.
It was a hard trek through the foothills of the Frostbacks. The allure of sleep fell heavy over the party, and finally they stopped miles south of Gherlens Pass. They settled in not too far from the lake itself, keeping an eye on the road.
The group was just about to set watches and put up tents when a woman with red hair came running to them from the road.
"Please help!" She was in hysterics, "They attacked the caravan! My family!" She ran off in the direction of the highway.
Without a second thought Nicolai threw his supplies down and chased after her. He could hear Nennet screaming his name, but Nicolai just ran. Images of the last victims of the most recent raid on the Alienage came to his mind. The tears burned his sleep deprived eyes.
He saw the woman stop on the road. A creeping feeling crawled up from his stomach and he stopped in his tracks. The woman turned to him, he could see the tear tracks on her dirty face, but she grinned at him. The hair stood up on his arms and neck.
The woman began to laugh, Nicolai slowly realized the growing group of people surrounding him. Nicolai felt a kick to his legs. He fell to his knees and felt a blade in his back.
An elf sauntered up next to the red-headed woman. He was dressed in fine leather armor with carved birds.
The woman looked at him and her eyes flashed with ecstatic pleasure.
"This one ran in front." She said.
"How many?" The man asked, his accent sweet like a rosy wine.
"Seven."
Nicolai caught a glimpse in the elfs golden eyes, something likened to jumping down a cliff without rope.
"And here is your quarry now." The woman said to Nicolai.
Nennet reached them just in time to feel a knife at her throat. Nicolai struggled against his captors.
"Nic?" Nennet watched her cousin get kicked in the stomach.
The rest of the Wardens came to a sudden stop when they saw what had happened. The elf pointed a dagger at Alistair.
"The Warden dies here!" He yelled to the others.
All at once the group of assassins descended upon the Wardens.
Nicolai broke free of his hold and flipped his captor over, his body cracking as it hit the ground. He looked up just as he saw the red-headed woman choking Nennet. Nani had blown a breathe of ice over the woman, her body shattering as Nennets blade pulled out of her stomach.
Nennet felt a blow to the head, her vision going dark. Nicolai screamed her name.
Everything slowed, and Nicolai could hear the voices in his head once more. He tried to suppress them again, but watching Nennet fall to the ground sent him over the edge.
Nicolai pulled the blade from the body before him. He stood to his full height, then slowly drew the blade over his left hand.
Thackery looked up from the fighting.
"Nicolai, no!" He yelled.
Nicolai's eyes went black, the blood puddling at his feet congealed and became sentient. When he lifted his hand, the blood flew up in the air. Like spears, they pierced the body of the closest attacker.
Nicolai conjured a waves of blood that gushed from the holes he had put in the assassin, he sent forth more daggers of blood into the elf about to swing her blade into Thackery.
With a wave of his hand, Nicolai sent bodies flying. The elven woman thrusting her blade into Thackery's side was immediately pulled away, her body shrivelling as Nicolai bled her through her nostrils and mouth.
One of the mercenaries came running for Nicolai.
Nicolai stopped in his place and turned to the attacker. His eyes flickered red and the man stopped running. Every blood vessel in the mans body broke, turning his body red and purple. Nicolai held up his finger, the man drawing his own blade across his throat.
Nicolai decimated the battlefield. He held up the blonde elf with the amber eyes up in the air. His voice darkened and he spoke with a voice that was not his own.
"Sint innoxium sanguinem de manibus purgari."
He was about to exsanguinate the elf, but he felt Nennet put her hand on his shoulder.
"Nic, stop." She begged.
She saw his eyes swirl back into an icy blue, the elf being thrown to the ground. Nicolai felt his legs wobble beneath him and he fell to the dirt with a loud thud.
The elf he had held in the air started to get to his feet, but Nani stomped over to him and decked him right in the eye. The elf fell limp to the ground, Thackery helped Nani bind his hands.
Nicolai's head swirled as he watched Thackery drag away their captive. The last thing he remembered was Nennet saying his name, and his vision went dark.