It was early morning when they departed for the chasm that lead to the Deep Roads, and the sky decided to open up and pour down buckets of rain before the day's trek was half over. Large, red leaved trees provided some cover from the downpour as they moved closer to the caves in a silent single file.

Alistair dug into his pack, scowling. His return and apology were both awkward, and it felt as though nothing had been repaired between them. They slept back to back, and when morning came they rose and dressed in silence. Everyone else was just as miserable as he was, thanks to the rain. The walk was an easy one, at least. All downhill. "Blast!"

Lindise looked over at Alistair, brow raised. "What is it?"

"My razor," he mumbled, shifting the weight of his pack to his hip. His hand dug into it again, fingers feeling along the bottom for the steel. "I couldn't find it this morning."

"Ah, so that's why you're looking so scruffy."

Nathaniel walked ahead of the others as usual, but his footsteps paused as he looked back at Alistair. "What was that?"

"I said I can't find my straight razor."

Nathaniel pivoted on the balls of his feet, and from his pocket he withdrew a folded straight razor. He held it up for Alistair to see with a casual air, the steel shining in the murky light. "This razor?"

Alistair blinked, then smirked, jogging a few steps closer over the wet mud and rocks of the sloping forest trail. "What, did you nick it when I wasn't looking?"

Nathaniel jogged a few steps back, and the razor remained just out of Alistair's reach. "No, you left it at camp. I found it."

Alistair frowned. "Ah, right. Well. Thank you." Another step forward, hand outstretched.

Another step backwards, "You left it behind." His feet moved easily over the wet dirt, and the forest opened up to reveal a steeper drop down into the chasm below. "You really need to take better care of your things."

"Oh, so you think you get to keep it now?" Alistair made yet another grab for the razor, giving Nathaniel a shove in the process.

Nathaniel stumbled back, but managed to keep the razor out of reach. "Don't blame me; it was your own carelessness that caused you to lose it. So yes, now it's mine."

Elissa let out a weary sigh, rubbing the raindrops from her eyelashes. She was just about to tell the both of them to cut it out when Alistair leapt on Nathaniel in a sudden fury.

The larger warrior barreled into the leaner bowman, knocking him to the ground and halfway down the embankment. The two men tumbled together, somersaulting down through the mud and stone, grasping and punching at one another. The razor fell away, bounced off a rock, and disappeared into the weeds.

Paien stopped short and crossed his arms with a look of annoyance as they tumbled past him. "Well, we all saw this coming, didn't we?"

Elissa scrambled down the hill after them. "Stop it! Stop it, both of you!"

The two men continued to roll as the path got steeper, and they soon were swallowed by the darkness of the cave below. They hit the more even dirt floor of the cave with a heavy thud, and for a moment, Alistair had Nathaniel pinned, striking blows across his face with his fists.

Nathaniel grunted, kicked the man off him, and rolled away. He quickly got back to his feet and rammed into the warrior with all his strength. The dark path inside the cave dropped suddenly, and as Alistair fell over the side, he grabbed onto Nathaniel, who went over the edge with him.

Nathaniel could make out for only a fraction of a second the shimmering outline of a pool. And they were both falling into it. He pressed his body flat against the ground to slow the fall, but Alistair was so much heavier. He tumbled down towards the dark pool, and Nathaniel was dragged along with him.

With a dull thick splash, Alistair vanished into the dark deep pool at the bottom of the cave.

It was blood. It was a pool of blood.

Nathaniel barely stopped himself from sliding in after him. He instantly plunged his hands into the thick mess, burying his arms nearly to the shoulders in a frantic attempt to find Alistair. His hands finally closed on armor, and he shouted out for help.

Elissa was behind him a moment later, grabbed him around the middle, and pulled. Their strength combined hauled Alistair out of the pool of blood and back to the cave floor.

As soon as his blood covered skin hit air, however, Nathaniel was struck with a blinding pain, and doubled over on the ground. Beside him, the completely blood-soaked Alistair let out an ethereal scream, writhing in agony.

"Lindise! Help! The blood, get it off him!"

The mage was over him, eyes wide in shock. Her thin, pale arms waved above him, conjuring water from thin air. Her arms spread wide and the hovering water fell, washing the burning blood from his arms. His skin was stained pink from the gory pool, but the pain faded almost instantly.

With a grunt, Nathaniel sat up and looked over at Alistair. Vash finally made his way down the hill, and the big kossith was stripping off the blood soaked armor while Alistair continued to scream. Lindise spun and repeated the water conjuring trick, bathing the man completely to rid him of the blood.

The screaming ended, and Alistair went limp, his head lolling to the side.

Paien stood very still at the edge of the blood pool, looking up. Elissa followed his gaze to see bodies. Men, women, elves, darkspawn. There were about ten in all, dangled from their ankles from the cave ceiling with slit throats. One body was fresh, and now that the screaming had stopped, all that would be heard the dripping sound of blood from a victim into the pool.

"She is here," Paien said in a hushed voice. He almost sounded excited.

Elissa quickly turned back to Alistair and shook him by the shoulders to rouse him. "Alistair!"

The man remained limp and lifeless.

"Vash, do something!"

Vashoth remained crouched beside the unconscious Alistair, touching his throat, opening his eyes, resting a hand on his chest. "This is no injury I can treat. This is magic."

"Lindise!"

The elven mage blinked a few times, looking horrified and lost as her big brown eyes went to the dangling bodies to Paien, to Alistair. Elissa called her name again, forcing her to focus. "It's blood magic! I was never allowed to learn that!"

Nathaniel bent over with a groan, "My arms..."

Elissa sucked in a breath and pushed her wet hair out of her face, "Nathaniel, do they still hurt? What can we-"

"I can't move them." He lifted his head to meet her gaze. His arms, which had been in the cursed blood nearly to his armpits, dangled like dead weights. He pushed himself to his feet. "I can't even feel them. What is this?"

Paien was tiptoeing around the blood pool with cautious purpose. "Sabinia!"

"Paien, you need to stay here!" Elissa called out to him. She closed her eyes and ran possibilities through her head. "We need to leave. Now."

Paien was on the other side of the pool now, and shook his head vigorously, "No. No, we are so close!"

Lindise wrung her hands, staring up at the dangling dead. "Paien." She rose, turning to face him, "Paien, please. I know you want to find her, but we... we can't face her like this. Please."

The old Warden looked over at the others, his chest rising and falling steadily under his armor. He wore a pained expression, apologetic. A moment later, he broke into a run, disappearing down one of the tunnels and into the dark.

Lindise cried out in alarm, scrambling after him, "Paien!"

Elissa jumped up and grabbed her by the arm, "Lindise, no. Stop."

Nathaniel gritted his teeth and shook his head. "Let him go. We can use your magic to block up the entrance."

"No!" Lindise spun back to him. "No, we cannot leave him in here, not like this!" She tugged at her arm to get out of Elissa's grip, "Please, he's no match for her, we can't leave him!"

Elissa's hand tightened around her, and she looked back at Alistair on the ground. He was alive, but for how long? What had her magic done? What would it do as the day wore on?

Maybe if they found the blood mage, they could force her to reverse the spell she'd cursed Alistair and Nathaniel with. She took in a breath, about to tell Nathaniel to remain here with Alistair and Vash when a familiar chill crept up her skull. Lindise and Nathaniel both looked suddenly alert, searching the dark corners of the cave with wary eyes. They felt it, too.

She pulled one of her swords from its sheath.

"What is it?" Vash asked, looking up at them.

"Darkspawn."

"Elissa." Vash was staring at her, hand resting on the center of Alistair's chest. "We may find help for them both at the Circle. They cannot remain here."

Nathaniel had backed himself up against the cave wall, to keep from being attacked from behind. His arms still hung limp from their sockets. He couldn't feel his arms, which meant he could not draw his bow. "We're all leaving."

"No!" Lindise shook her head, lifting her staff. "Not without Paien! Not without killing that bitch!"

Elissa watched Alistair. He looked asleep, with wet hair plastered to his forehead and a chin of unshaven stubble. All she wanted to do was stay with him. Protect him. Not leave his side until he awoke.

"Take him," she said, looking back at Vash. "Take him and Nathaniel, get them to safety. Now. Go!"

The Vashoth nodded once, and effortlessly slung the prone Warden over his shoulder.

Nathaniel stepped towards her, eyes wide, "Elissa."

"No arguing. You're in no state to stay and fight. Go. Get help." She rested a hand on the side of his neck, then stepped away, motioning Lindise to lead the chase after Paien.

Nathaniel rocked back on his heels as he watched the two women creep around the pool and down the cave tunnel. He tipped his head back and said, "Shit."
"Do you require aid?" Vash asked.

"No." He shook his head and turned his run. His dead arms flopped awkwardly at his sides as he moved. "You should go with them."

"You cannot carry Alistair," Vash replied, "otherwise I would. Hurry, before the darkspawn arrive."

Nathaniel's whole head was tingling. The darkspawn were very close. Would Elissa be able to handle them with only a hysteric mage? Dash it all.

There was a rumbling sound behind them, and Nathaniel turned to look. When he saw the darkspawn crawling up from beneath the dirt floor, he wished he hadn't. "Run!" he shouted to Vash, sprinting past him and ignoring the growls and grumbles that were increasing in number.

His feet slipped on the steep, wet ground, and without arms to catch himself he fell hard. Vash grabbed him and hauled him back to his feet. It was ridiculous how difficult this was when his legs worked just fine. He cast a glance behind him again and spotted five darkspawn at their heels. "You may need to fight, Vashoth!"

"With what?"

"His blade? My bow?"

"I have never handled either!"

"Grab his sword!" Nathaniel stumbled and fell again, and again Vash picked him up. This time, he threw Nathaniel over his other shoulder and ran. But he stumbled as well. The weight, the slope, the wet dirt was too much for even the large kossith.

Vash let out a curse in his native tongue and struggled to get back to his feet with his burdens. Nathaniel looked up, and saw a darkspawn standing over him with a lipless grin. The creature lifted its blade with relish, and a moment later Nathaniel was covered in blood once more.