Wynne attends to herself, Duncan, and Leliana while I loot Flemeth's body. Her scales and bones disappear once I pry them off of her, so there's no way I could keep her body and make it into something. Disappointing. I do, however, find a small key attached to her heart. I gently pry the gory, blood-covered key from the stilled muscle before going over to the shack where Morrigan grew up. The door clicks open when I turn the key, and I'm once again allowed inside the house where Flemeth raised one of my closest friends.
There's not much of note in the house. A fireplace with a small bed beside it (did Morrigan and Flemeth share one?) and a few containers littered around the room. I go into the tinier 'room' of the shack and find a single chest waiting for me. The book resting inside is identical to the one I found in the circle tower. I pick it up and realize I'm wrong. This book is warm, and after a few seconds of holding it I shudder when it seems to throb in my hands. I hastily walk outside and whistle. Wynne finishes up on Leliana with a single flourish, then walks over to me.
"Yes?". I show her the book.
"Any idea what this is or what it's made of?". Wynne shakes her head, but reaches out and runs her fingers over the cover. A grimace crosses her face and yanks her hand away. I don't even have to ask before Wynne explains what's wrong with the book.
"I don't know what's inside of it, but I know what it's made out of. Heart.". I look at the book and feel it throb again. I shudder, but confirm it again with Wynne.
"Hearts? Like someone killed a goat and used its heart?". Wynne shakes her head.
"A book like this can only be made with dark magic. And, with a human heart only recently removed from its host.". The book throbs again. I tighten my grip on it in a refusal to follow my instincts and drop it. Wynne keeps talking while looking at the black, living book.
"The victims were probably alive before their beating hearts were removed in one swift stroke. In all honesty, there were probably alive for a few seconds after their hearts were removed.". I look at the book and ask a question I don't want to know the answer to.
"How many hearts would it take to make a book like this?". Wynne hums and examines the book for a few seconds. Finally, she comes up with a number.
"It depends on whether whoever made the book used the whole hearts, or just the 'finer' parts of the muscle. I'd guess around twenty to forty hearts depending on the situation.". I slide the beating book into my bag and try not to think about the fact I'm possibly totting around forty hearts. Leliana and Duncan finally feel the need to join us. Everyone looks good as new besides me. Wynne must have the same thought as me at the same time. She gently lays her hands on my face and pours a healing spell into me. I smile at the woman and she smiles back. Leliana is the one who breaks the smiling.
"So, shall we meet Alistair in Denerim?". I nod and clap my hands together.
"Alright everyone, let's get a move on! I want to be back in Redcliffe and see a dead Eamon before dinner!". Duncan barks and begins strutting away. However, once we're outside the area where Flemeth's hut is we see our horses nickering and pulling on their leads. Leliana and I bolt to our horses with both of us practically carrying Wynne. The older woman is the first seated and ready to go with Leliana and I tying for second. Duncan is growling, but instead of bolting he's slowly circling our horses in a protective manner. I give a command to Duncan.
"Quiet!". His lips fall back down, but he doesn't stop forming his protective circle. I guess that'll do. All three of us shush our horses. It takes a minute or two, but eventually they're quiet again. Leliana whispers a good question.
"Can you feel any darkspawn nearby?". I close my eyes and reach out with my taint. I recoil and cry out in agony. Wynne is close enough to slam her hand over my mouth to somewhat contain my cry. I hold in another cry and begin frantically nodding my head. Wynne is the next to try to get some information out of me.
"How many?". I pull back and whisper something that causes both Wynne and Leliana to frown.
"Too many. Enough to kill us. Enough to march on Denerim. We need to go and never return. Now.". Wynne and Leliana begin to move their horses around to get behind me. I hold up a hand to stop them. The click and clock of the horses walking will alert darkspawn with good enough hearing. Only ogres and shrieks have that kind of hearing, and both of those would kill our horses (and quite possibly us) within seconds. I slide off of my horse and dig around in our packs. I sacrifice my own sleeping bag for my idea. Considering I have Leliana, I don't think it's that big of a loss. I tear the bed into twelve strips and begin going around and tying our horses' hooves with cloth. Duncan has soft feet, so he doesn't need his paws tied.
When I'm done, I make sure each cloth is dipped in one of the puddles that cover the swampy floor. Finally, all of the horses are silenced. I mount my steed and lightly kick his sides to get him going. Snapping his reins is just as bad as screaming. The wet cloth doesn't obscure every sound, but now it doesn't sound like riders leaving the swamp. Instead, it sounds like a small group of medium or small animals going through the underbrush. An ogre isn't going to hunt small animals, and a shriek wouldn't be interested in food it can't sneak up on.
Since we aren't worthy of eating and they wouldn't imagine we'd be a threat; we're safe. Unless a darkspawn suddenly feels like reaching out with his taint and realizes that there's a weird darkspawn away from everyone else. I'm still not sure how darkspawn minds work, but I doubt they think enough to go 'hey, what's that guy doing all by himself'. Although, I do make sure to reach out every once in a while. Not enough to hurt me, but enough to ensure that we aren't being followed or investigated by any darkspawn. I realize I'm being ridiculous. I'm trying to think like a darkspawn. I have the taint of one, but that doesn't mean I am one.
A shudder runs up my spine as I remember something either Alistair or Duncan told me. When I get my calling I'll either go into the Deep Roads myself and die honorably, or darkspawn will come and get me and take me to the Deep Roads. The only mercy of the later is that I won't be turned into a broodmother; instead, I'll become a ghoul. A shambling, groaning creature who hears the call of the Old Gods. A morbid thought creeps into my mind. If I let it get that far, then what will I do? Will I seek the Old Gods like my fellows? Or will I retain some semblance of humanity and rebel against my brothers? Is that even possible? I doubt it. If it was, then I'm sure some Grey Warden ghoul would have tried to slay the Old Gods by now to prevent a future Blight.
I mean, I think we know where all the Old Gods are locked away. We just can't get to them because of the tremendous amount of darkspawn blocking the way. And, a corrupted Grey Warden with enough of him/herself left would try to slay the Old Gods and permanently end the Blight. So, no. I wouldn't be myself. I'd be a shambling abomination fit to be killed. I shudder and try not to think about Leliana. I'm going to die one day. A day long, long before she does. Either during the Blight or after it. Even if I survive the Blight, I only have around twenty years before I'm called to the Deep Roads. I force myself to stop thinking about this. I'm just going to make myself sick to my stomach. Instead, I try to focus on riding.
I'm clumsy on a horse and I really wish I were riding Duncan, but it's easier on my mabari's back if I don't break it. My horse sways and keeps tossing her head. Thankfully, she still manages to be quiet. I focus on what I'm doing and reach out again for the taint. I feel it a little bit, but now I can touch it without screaming in pain. We aren't near the edge of the swamp yet, so I'm assuming the main horde isn't marching on Denerim or anywhere else. Yet. My gut tightens as I feel our adventure coming to an end. I've been having fun and there actually haven't been that many darkspawn, but I know my luck will eventually die.
I can't think anymore depressing thoughts as I finally feel my horse begin walking on solid ground. Just to be safe, I reach out along the trace of my taint. I can barely sense the darkspawn at the edge of my taint, so we'll be safe for a while. I whistle and rein in my horse, then dismount and look at my group. Duncan's legs and stomach are soaked, Leliana has leaves stuck in her hair, Wynne's staff has a vine wrapped around it, and the horses look both pissed and panicked. I sigh as I set to work cleaning everyone up.
I point out to Leliana there are leaves in her hair, tell Wynne there's a vine on her staff, and go around to take off every bit of soaking cloth off of our horses' hooves. Eventually, the horses are free and I mount up again. Now, we can ride a little quicker. I'm still awkward on my horse and don't quite know how to ride; however, having an actual road (even if it's just a dirt one that's been trodden by use) makes the process easier than the swamp. When night falls Wynne and Leliana both wish to stop. Cautiously, I rein in my horse and feel out along the length of taint running through my veins. There's still the slightest feeling of it at the very fringes of my feeling. I shake my head and try to reason with my friends.
"The darkspawn are still too close for us to stop. They wouldn't reach us tonight, but a shriek or ogre might catch our scent and start heading this way.". Leliana and Wynne both seem disheartened by the news we can't stop for the night without putting ourselves at extensive risk. Thankfully, my team understands and doesn't whine or complain when I keep pushing us into the night. A worrying thing occurs, however. I keep reaching out and feeling for the darkspawn, and they're always there at the edge of my feeling. No matter how far we ride or how long it's been since I last checked for them. I whip my horse up into an uneasy run as my nerves begin boiling. The horde is coming.