Part 15

Meeting The Magpie

"Well, well, what have we here?"

The female voice that cut in was not Kallian's. It came from the very spot Alistair had been keeping watch at just a moment before.

The woman who appeared wasn't like anything or anyone Aedan had ever seen before. She was svelte with black hair swept up into a bun. Her skin was pale, but not unhealthy, and a good deal of it was on display. The tattered skirt and leggings she wore covered her from the waist down, but very little was left to the imagination up top. A burgundy coif draped about her neck and shoulders and hung low about her middle. It teased and tantalized the flesh underneath and drew one's eye right to it. In her hand was a walking staff that could have easily doubled as a weapon. She looked wild, savage, exotic . . . dangerous.

Aedan was uncertain of what to make of her. She was beautiful, there was no mistaking that, but her sudden appearance had him immediately wary. Not to mention she'd nary made a sound before she spoke, regardless of the amount of necklaces and beads she wore about her neck.

"Are you a vulture, I wonder?" The woman stepped down the incline with the swagger of one confident in both her skills and looks. "A scavenger poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned? Or merely an intruder, come into these darkspawn filled wilds of mine in search of easy prey?"

Her pale amber eyes narrowed and Aedan found himself transfixed. Her appearance had him stunned in more ways than one.

"What say you, hmm?" Her harsh intonation broke him of his stupor. "Scavenger or intruder?"

The others seemed similarly shocked. When no one else spoke, Aedan found his voice.

"We're neither. We've come here in search of something that belongs to the Grey Wardens. We've been told that their archive is here."

"Then you do dig for some sort of remains." She walked slowly in a large half-circle, keeping her eyes on them. "Sounds like scavenger work to me. Do the Grey Wardens even know you seek a relic of theirs?"

"We are Grey Wardens." Alistair came up to stand next to Aedan as he spoke. "This tower belonged to our order. We are here by rights."

She stopped and motioned a hand above her, indicating the sky and the lack of any ceiling or building. "'Tis a tower no longer. Any rights here have long since been dissolved by nature."

Alistair bristled at that, but Aedan interrupted, "Just where did you come from? There are no villages nearby here that we're aware of."

"And you are familiar enough with this place that you know all the villagers and its inhabitants?" Her head tilted slightly, seemingly amused at the thought. "I doubt that."

She strode boldly toward them. Aedan held back on the urge to draw his blade. They ended up parting to allow her to pass, but she stopped to look up at Aedan. She seemed to be examining him and there was the tiniest smirk upon her lips.

Aedan felt a sudden stirring in his gut. There was no denying her attractiveness and a tiny part of him entertained the thought of what a night with her might be like. It was greatly overruled by the notion that the staff she carried would probably get shoved into a most uncomfortable spot on his body before that would ever happen. He quickly told his idiot libido to check itself at the door. Now was not the time.

The smirk disappeared as she continued to walk past them. "You are the strangers here, not I. 'Tis best I ask again. What item do you seek that has you digging into the dirt like moles?"

"Don't answer her," Alistair spoke in a quiet tone to Aedan. "She looks Chasind, and that means others may be nearby."

"Oh?" The woman stopped and turned to look at Alistair. With a sudden step forward she raised her arms as if to suddenly pounce upon him, but she stopped short of actually doing so. "You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?"

Alistair ended up flinching at her sudden movement and gritted his teeth afterward in irritation. "Yes, swooping is bad."

She laughed in amusement. "Do I really appear a stalking predator ready to leap upon her find? There is no need to fear me. Are you all always so mistrustful?"

"Well, got to admit it's a tad suspicious," Kallian said. She stepped over slowly, her hands busy with getting her belts adjusted.

"'Suspicious? How so?" She didn't seem offended.

Kallian came to a stop stepping in front of Aedan and Alistair to address her. "I mean, here you are, a lone woman who doesn't appear to be armed or armored. You're walking about in - as you said - darkspawn filled wilds with no accompaniment. A wiser head is gonna think that if they see one wolf about then others have got to be lurkin' close by. We're not being mistrustful, we're being cautious. After all, most of what we've come across has either tried to kills us or eat us. So pardon if we come across as a little leery."

There was a calmness to Kallian that was countering the woman's bravado. Even though her weapons were back on, she stood in a relaxed manner with her hands on her hips and spoke in a casually. Aedan wasn't certain what she thought to prove by this, but for now he'd let her do the talking.

"Now you seem like a far more reasonable person to talk to." The woman's smile widened. "You are quite correct. The darkspawn presence has made even the calmest of creatures more agitated than normal. Far-too-hungry wolves would indeed be something to be leery of. 'Tis forgivable, I suppose."

Daveth suddenly came up to Kallian's side. There was a paleness to his face, and he spoke in a nervous tone. "You shouldn't be talking to her. She's a Witch of the Wilds, she is. She'll turn us into toads."

"Witch of the Wilds." The woman chuckled. "Such idle fancies. Things born of story and myth and you take it for truth?"

"Is that the one where witches in forests steal away babies?" Kallian apparently was not phased. "Or lure virgins away to be sacrificed to a demon . . . or is it dragons? I always get those stories mixed up."

"It's no joke! I grew up on stories of the Witch of the Wilds."

"So did I," Kallian shot back. "I also grew up on stories about there being giant rats near the city sewage drains big enough to kill a dog, but you don't see me balking at every rat we come across."

"Little boys tend to frighten too easily, it seems." The woman looked at Kallian with great interest. "Come, let us be civilized. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine."

"The name's Kallian. Kallian Tabris." She dipped her head in a slight bow. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Now that is a proper civil greeting. You may call me Morrigan."

Daveth fired a look at Aedan, almost begging him to step in or stop the conversation. A tiny shake of his head was his answer. So far this Morrigan seemed to be taking to Kallian. Not only that, but the longer they talked, the more it gave Aedan the chance to decide for himself if this was just a distraction or if the witch really was out here on her own.

Kallian kept it pleasant. "Morrigan it is, then. I mean no offense, but are you a Witch of the Wilds? The sort that can use magic? If you are then that explains a lot on how you can be out here on your own."

Aedan felt his breath seize up. How, by the Maker, can she just blurt out a question like that? If this Morrigan was a mage then . . . Well, it certainly explained her sole appearance, but . . .

His eyes flit briefly to Alistair and he could see his jaw visibly clenching.

Templar meet apostate. Apostate meet templar.

"Some call us witches, yes." Morrigan fixed her gaze briefly on Daveth. "But purely out of superstition."

The confirmation was enough to get Alistair talking. "You know what the Circle of Magi is, don't you? The Circle requires an accounting of all mages. That is the law of the land and the Chantry."

"If you wish to tell your Chantry about me, go ahead. I have nothing to fear from priests."

Aedan put a hand on Alistair's wrist as he saw him start to reach for his blade. Another small shake of his head and Alistair eased off on his intentions. While Morrigan could still potentially be a danger, she had yet to attack them with anything more than words. He looked to Kallian who was looking back at them from out of the corner of her eye. There was a tiny single nod of her head before she turned to the witch once more. Apparently, she also didn't see a need for blades here.

"You've got nothing to fear from us either. As he said, we're not intruders or scavengers." Kallian motioned a hand to the ruins they'd been digging into. "But we are looking for something. Scrolls. Grey Warden treaties to be specific."

"And naturally your search has turned up nothing."

"You got it in one. I take it you know this area really well?"

"As well as one who owns them should."

"Then could you help us? Maybe you can suggest another place we might try to find them?"

Morrigan crossed her arms with a knowing smile. "I can do even better than that. I know exactly where they are."

"You do? Well that's- . . . "

"You know where they are because you stole them!" Alistair apparently was having a hard time constraining himself. "You're some kind of . . . sneaky . . . witch thief!"

Aedan's lip twitched at Alistair's fumbling choice of words. "Alistair, I seriously doubt that even if she was a thief she wouldn't come back here just to gloat about it."

"Why not? She seems to be gloating about everything else."

"Sers, please." Kallian turned to them. "Let's not start tossing aimless accusations around. No reason to call someone a thief or . . . say . . . a murderer without valid reason."

Aedan's eyebrow arched slightly at the way she phrased it. "No one is calling anyone murderer here."

"Kallian, you have to admit her appearance is far too convenient." Alistair nudged his head in Morrigan's direction. "Just how does she know where the scrolls are without having taken them herself?"

"I did not take them, but I know who did." Morrigan's lips curled downward as she regarded Alistair. "Do you care for me to show you where they are or not?"

"We don't-"

"Yes," Kallian said, interrupting Alistiar before he could say more. She set him with a stare that stilled any further objections. "Yes, we would very much like it for you to show us where the treaties are. Will we have to fight to get them back?"

"Not unless you bring a fight with you, no. You will simply need to ask."

"Oh good! That sounds simple. Is it far?"

"'Tis not far from here at all. You can have your treaties and be back from where you came from well before sunset."

"Lead on, then."

"Wait," Aedan said, "can we talk a little bit more about this first?"

"What's to talk about?" Kallian shrugged a shoulder. "We need the treaties, she knows who's got 'em. Simple, roit?"

"She could be leading us into a trap, you know."

"So, whot, are we supposed ta keep diggin' and sendin' me inta more holes? I'd rather not keep workin' at a futile attempt and I'd rather not get more cobwebs stuck in my hair." She ran her fingers through her black locks and a wisp of spider web came off. "You lot can stay here if ya want and keep shovelin'. I'm followin' her."

"This way, then, if it pleases you." Morrigan left and Kallian followed suit.

Aedan's lips pinched into a frown. Morrigan's appearance was too convenient and Kallian was being far too careless. Her interjection of the word "murderer" had him wondering and slowly connecting dots in his head, but there wasn't enough time to ponder further. It was evident that Kallian's overall anger was leading her to this quick decision and he hesitated to go into what very well could be an ambush. He had guessed the others to be of a like-minded thought, so it was a surprise when he saw Jory pick up his things and head after them.

"Oy, you can't be serious," Daveth said. "She'll stick you in the pot, she will. Just you watch."

"If the pot is warmer than this forest then it'd be a nice change." Jory paused to adjust his cloak and look at them. "Kallian is right. Our duty is to get those treaties. If they are not here, then they are elsewhere. This is the only lead we have."

"And if it happens to be a trap?"

"A supposed 'witch' and some Chasind barbarians scare me not. If you are really that concerned then I suggest you follow." Jory began to walk. "The more blades the better."

Daveth shook his head after Jory disappeared into the marsh grass. "Never thought I'd see Jory and Kallian agreeing on something."

"Maybe it's a sign that we should follow this . . . Morrigan." Alistair looked at Aedan. "I don't like this one bit, but . . ."

Aedan sighed and finished for him. "Wouldn't want Kallian or Jory following on their own without help. I also have a feeling that it would be futile to keep trying to dig here. Let's keep our eyes and ears open, though. I don't want to end up in the pot or on the end of a Chasind spear."