Chapter 3

They reached the Dalish camp in four days and were stopped at its entrance by wary hunters. After a few less than friendly words, they were allowed to pass and approach Marethari. Gavin finally understood what it meant to 'feel someone's eyes on you', for every elf they passed turned to stare at them as they walked. It made him feel like turning around and forgetting all about his promise to Flemeth. Steeling his nerves and composing his face, he stopped in front of the Dalish keeper, meeting her eyes with more aplomb than he thought himself capable of.

"Marethari," he began and held out his hand with the amulet in it. "I was asked to bring this to you."

The keeper took the necklace and studied it before raising her eyes to study the human before her. She could almost see the light of good shining from within him, something that surprised her for it was a rare thing to find these days. She could also see the tendrils of magic that curled around him, a magic far more powerful than even she herself was capable of. She wondered if the young man knew of the potential within himself. He might even be strong enough to alter the path her first had set foot upon. She mentioned none of this to the human though, for fear of influencing the young man in any way.

"Tell me how you came by this locket?" she finally asked.

"Well, a dragon who turned out to be an old woman, fell from the sky, roasted a group of darkspawn surrounding my family and then offered to help us escape the horde," Gavin said, almost laughing at how silly it sounded now. "All she asked in return is that once we had reached safety, that we seek out your clan and give this amulet to you."

"I see," she said and smiled slightly. "There is a light in your heart human and laughter in your soul. Hold on to both of them for you shall need them in the future. You are blessed by luck and I will pray that Mythal continues to watch over you. As for this amulet, I am afraid that there is more you must do."

"I thought it seemed a little too simple a favor in return for saving our lives," Gavin shook his head.

"What you accomplished is no small feat," Marethari pointed out. "However, this amulet must be taken to the top of Sundermount and given the rite for the departed. My first is waiting for you up the path to the right. She will know what to do. When you have finished, bring the amulet back to me."

"Sounds simple enough," Gavin nodded.

"Yes, but there is one thing more that I must ask of you," the keeper said quietly. "When you leave, I want you to take Merrill, my first, with you back to Kirkwall."

"Isn't it unusual for the Dalish to send one of their own away?" Fenris asked.

"It is what she wants, and I must grant her wish," Marethari said, a note of sadness coloring her voice.

"Very well keeper," Gavin sketched a bow.

"Dareth Shiral," Marethari intoned as they turned and headed off.

Gavin headed up the right hand path and after a few hundred feet spotted another elf crouched low to the ground. He had not gone more than a few steps in that direction when the elf stood up abruptly and turned around.

"Oh, you must be the ones the keeper told me about," she stammered, eyeing them nervously.

"And you must be Merrill," Gavin smiled at her, trying to put her at ease. "My name is Hawke, and these are my friends Varric, Aveline, and Fenris."

Merrill nodded to them and then nervously looked over her shoulder. "Your task is for Ashe' bellanar. It is not wise to keep her waiting." She motioned them to follow and turning, started the long climb to the top.

They followed her at first hesitant and silent, each unsure of what to say or do. Never having met a Dalish elf before, Gavin wasn't sure how to talk to Merrill, fearful of offending or hurting. The little elf was already so skittish and wary. It was Varric who finally managed to ease the tension by telling one of his highly embellished tales. Gavin blushed a bright red as he realized that it was a recounting of the battle on Sundermount against the thieves they had helped Aveline kill.

"Uh, I feel I should warn you that Varric has the habit of greatly exaggerating events," he hurriedly interrupted. "Take everything he tells you with a grain of salt."

"Why would I eat salt?" Merrill asked in confusion.

Taken aback at first, Gavin couldn't help but laugh at the expression on the elf's face. "Sorry, I should have said don't believe everything he says."

"Oh, that was one of those funny human sayings that means something different from the actual words," Merrill nodded seriously, like she had just learned something of great magnitude, which caused everyone to chuckle aloud. Well, except for Fenris.

When they were only perhaps a third of the way up, a large group of skeletons suddenly burst from the ground underneath them. The fight was short and soon everyone was standing around looking at the elven girl.

"So, you are a mage," Gavin nodded. "I wondered if the staff you carried was for walking or served another purpose."

"All keepers know a bit of old magic," Merrill said defensively, knowing how humans feared magic.

"Oh, don't worry about him," Varric waived his hand at Gavin. "He's a mage too."

"You are, but you..I..never mind," Merrill stuttered.

"I've learned other ways of fighting than with just magic," Gavin shrugged. "I'm told that makes me unique and unpredictable."

"Yes, of course," Merrill said hesitantly. "We should move on."

Move on they did, in silence for a while before Gavin and Varric managed to draw Merrill out and lighten the mood. Fenris ground his teeth and held his peace, keeping an ever watchful eye on the elven mage. She was yet another unknown, not only because she was a mage but also Dalish. From what he heard, the Dalish were not kind to outsiders who weren't also Dalish, and that included city born elves. So far, what he had heard appeared to be true.

"Not much further to go now," Merrill was saying. "Just a small sequence of caves to pass through and then we will be there."

Gavin nodded and then stopped in surprise when another Dalish elf appeared in front of him. Seeing the makings of a camp, he wondered if this was some kind of Dalish watch post. Before he could say anything, the other elf spoke, his words harsh and rough.

"So, the Keeper finally found someone to take you away from here," he snarled, glaring at Merrill with utter loathing.

"Yes," Merrill answered, holding her chin up and returning the glare.

"Hurry up with your task human," the elf turned his glare on Gavin. "We can't be rid of this one fast enough." Having said that, he pushed past them and headed back down the mountain, leaving everyone standing tense and silent.

"Merrill, what is going on here?" Gavin asked sharply.

"Nothing, just ignorance," she turned away and continued on.

"Apparently I am not the only one who has a problem with mages," Fenris murmured. "Yet, the Keepers have magic, or so I was told, and the Dalish revere them. It is curious that this one is reviled."

Gavin didn't know what to say, so he wisely kept silent and hurried after Merrill, the others following suit. They came to the caves and fought their way past spiders and more undead before finally reaching their destination. He came to a halt at the sight of the barrier before them. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before and he wondered who put it there. Something about it made him nervous and his step slowed as he neared it.

"I can open the way forward, one moment," Merrill said and stepped up to the barrier.

As Gavin watched the dagger appear in the elf's small hand, a shiver of foreboding rippled down his spine. When he saw her use it to draw her own blood to use against the barrier he froze, unable to believe that this seemingly innocent, gentle creature was using blood magic.

Fenris watched with a scowl on his face. "Blood magic? Foolish, very foolish," he growled.

"Yes, it was blood magic, but I know what I am doing," Merrill turned to them, meeting their eyes almost desperately.

Aveline and Varric exchanged glances of concern, while Fenris glowered. Aveline caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to where Gavin had been, the others following suit. What she saw surprised her. "Hawke, are you alright?"

Gavin was standing far back from Merrill, his entire body rigid, in his face a mixture of fear and loathing. "That's why they want you gone?" he finally spat out. "You've made a deal with a demon!"

Merrill flinched away from the harsh tone, fighting back tears. "It is a spirit, like any other. It is simply different, not wrong, or evil."

Varric was puzzled at the way Gavin was behaving. "You don't have a problem around Anders."

Gavin glared at him, "Anders is not a blood mage."

"He merged with a spirit of the Fade," Aveline said reasonably. "You may see a difference, but I don't."

"The Maker's first children were spirits of Compassion, Love, Justice etc.," Gavin snapped. "Unlike the demons, those spirits have no desire to seek out mortals and bond with them as the demons do. What happened with Anders is a rare exception."

"And the difference is?" Varric prompted.

"Demons want only one thing from mortals," Gavin turned his glare to Merrill once more. "They want a foothold in our world and they will do and say anything, corrupt anyone they can to gain it. Every mage who's made a deal with a demon has been corrupted and twisted into something inhuman, a wretched thing to be hunted down and killed."

"That is not true," Merrill whispered.

"Isn't it?" Gavin snapped. "Then why do even the Dalish have tales of Keepers that fell prey to demons and were hunted down and killed?" Dead silence greeted his words, even Merrill having no ready argument to hand. "Let's finish what we came to do," he finally said and gestured for Merrill to go first. "I want you where I can see you."

Fenris held Aveline back for he could see she was confused by Hawke's behavior. "I know about blood mages and I understand why Hawke is reacting this way. I saw mages with good intentions and noble ideals fall under the influence of the Magisters. All mages fear the lure of blood magic, and with good reason. Even the most seasoned enchanter or most noble mage is not immune to temptation."

"But he didn't react that way to Anders," Aveline pointed out.

"True, but Anders poses no real threat to Hawke, for he doesn't use blood magic, and he's not as stong as Hawke," the elf stated.

"Wesley tried to explain to me once how no mage can ever be fully trusted," Aveline said as they walked behind the others. "He talked about spirits and demons and the Fade, but it just never seemed to make sense to me. He said that being friends with a mage would make one too weak to do what must be done if the situation merited it."

"A mage who becomes corrupted must be killed," Fenris pointed out. "It is harder to kill a friend than an enemy."

"Not any harder than for a wife to kill her husband to spare him the agony of a slow death," Aveline retorted.

"Not everyone is as strong as you Aveline," Fenris said softly. "Remember that."