Chapter 18 - Down the Rabbit Hole

"Is it just me, or was that far too easy?" Anders drawled as they headed back towards the Dalish camp.

"Too easy," Alyx agreed. "They didn't exactly send out their best and brightest, did they? Something tells me we haven't seen the last of the darkspawn just yet."

"And we still need to confront our little bloodthirsty friend," he added with relish.

Alyx shook her head in disbelief as a small, secret smile wreathed her lips. She had to give it to Anders. He could turn almost anything into a joke. It didn't lead one to believe that he was the most intelligent of men, yet she knew for a fact that he could be surprisingly astute when it suited him.

In this case, he was absolutely dead on.

The darkspawn had descended on them almost before any of them sensed their presence. They even had them greatly outnumbered, but it took little effort to take them out…far too little effort in her opinion. This made her think that these particular darkspawn were no more than a distraction, fodder for the Grey Warden blades as it were. Even more curious was the discovery that they were decisively pitting the humans against the elves. But for what purpose? She asked herself, brow furrowed in apprehension. If nothing else was clear, the fact that the darkspawn were indeed evolving had certainly made itself quite apparent. A frightening thought, she said to herself. A frightening thought, indeed.

As they drew closer to the ruins where the elf's camp had been, they were attacked by another wave of sylvans, followed by yet another pack of blood-crazed wolves…courtesy of their Dalish friend no doubt. Alyx had glimpsed just a flash of movement from the ruins on the hill above them, but it was enough to recognize the scantily clad figure.

By the time they fought their way through to the top of the peek, Alyx was fuming. She had every intention of giving the elvin mage a piece of her mind, but when they found her, hunched over in obvious grief by the freshly-dug grave mounds, her heart went out to the woman. After all, if anyone could relate to her loss it would be her.

"You'll never take me alive," the elf said without turning.

"I'm not going to kill you," Alyx replied softly as she sheathed her blades.

"Yer not?" Oghren grunted in surprise, earning a glare from Alyx.

"I will not go with you to some…shemlen magistrate. I won't bow to your rules," the elf snapped as she wrapped her arms tighter around her center.

"I just wish to talk, that is all," Alyx replied as she took a step closer.

The woman laughed, a sound that cracked through the air with palpable loathing and distrust.

"Talk, then," she replied as she finally turned to face them.

"The humans are not to blame for what happened here."

"You expect me to believe that? I know a human crime when I see it. I have experienced more than enough of them. What of the weapons…or my sister's disappearance?"

"The weapons were planted by the darkspawn."

The elf paused at that, her eyes widening at the implications of what she said. She could almost hear the wheels turning in the smaller woman's head as she mulled over Alyx's words.

"I wondered why anyone would discard the weapons, but you say the darkspawn planted them? Why would they do that?" she finally asked.

"I don't know, but I am going to find out," Alyx replied. When the elf simply stood there glaring at her, Alyx sighed. "Look, I know that it sounds crazy, and I know that you are unlikely to trust the words of a human after all that has happened but you must believe what I say."

"Must I?" the elf snapped. "And why is that?"

"I found this trinket. One of the darkspawn that attacked us was carrying it," Alyx replied, handing her the small, meticulously carved piece of ironbark inlaid with silver and suspended from a leather cord.

"That…that is Seranni's," the elf exclaimed, eyes widening as she grabbed it from Alyx's hand. "She would never willingly part with that. Our mother gave it to her before she died."

Her eyes had gone soft as she stared at the bauble, gently rubbing a thumb over the smooth wood. She squeezed her eyes shut as she closed her hand tightly around the pendant and held it close to her chest. Slowly, her eyes opened again, shining with quiet resolve.

"You have no reason to trust me, but let me come with you."

Both Oghren and Anders snorted behind her.

"After you killed all those people? After you tried to kill us as well?" Alyx said in disbelief.

"I fell for the darkspawn's deception and I took lives, this is true. I see how this was a mistake. I swear to you if I get Seranni back, I will leave this place. For good."

Alyx eyed her wearily for a long moment, and then sighed as she made her decision.

"Very well. You may come along, but know that I'll be keeping my eye on you," Alyx replied.

"Great. Another twitchy magic sort. Jest what we need," Oghren grumbled.

This day just keeps getting better and better, she groaned to herself as she rubbed at her temples, trying to dissuade the headache that was settling in from getting any worse.

"My name is Velanna, if you care for such things. Do you know where the darkspawn might dwell?" the elf continued.

"Tunnels, most likely," Alyx replied.

"There is an abandoned mine some ways to the north of here. The tunnels run far into the earth. Mayhap this is good place to start?" Velanna asked.

"Show me," Alyx commanded.

It didn't take long to find the mines. They had, in fact, passed it while trailing the darkspawn earlier in the day, though it was well hidden behind the overgrown brush. It shouldn't have surprised anyone that an Ogre was waiting for them at the entrance, flanked by an emissary and a handful of genlocks and herlocks.

Velanna proved to be quite the powerful mage; this hardly being a surprise after everything she had put them through up to this point. Though her companions were equally skilled and finally attuned to each other's fighting techniques (and about damn time, too), she was glad to have her along…at least in this.

"Foul creatures, these darkspawn. Nearly as bad as you humans!" Velanna spat as she wiped her brow after the last of the darkspawn fell.

Now if only she could control that mouth of hers, Alyx thought wryly. She caught Anders rolling his eyes as he stooped to whisper in her ear.

"Are you sure we have to take her along?"

Alyx tried not to laugh.

"I gave my word. However, if she puts even a pinky toe out of line, we leave her behind…or maybe I'll just make her walk drag behind Oghren. That would show her not to cross me."

"Mmm, I love it when you talk dirty," Anders purred, eyebrows waggling in suggestion.

It was Nate's turn to groan and roll his eyes as Alyx finally gave in and stopped fighting the urge to giggle. She couldn't help herself. Just when she didn't think they could surprise her any longer…

"Are we going after the darkspawn or are we going to stand about all day?" Velanna snapped haughtily as she crossed her arms in front her chest.

"What's the rush, my Lady? You have a hot date with an emissary?" Anders asked Velanna with a leer.

"I didn't know that Grey Wardens were so disgustingly absurd…or is that just your personality, human?" she spat back at him.

"Anders, enough. Velanna, I promised that you could come along, but could you please refrain from verbally abusing my men?" Alyx butted in.

Velanna huffed, but eventually nodded in agreement.

After looking over the darkspawn corpses for anything useful, they entered the crumbling ruin that housed the entrance to the mines. Velanna visibly gulped as she stared into the pitch-black hole leading into the tunnels.

"Aww, is the big bad elf scared of the dark?" Anders crooned from behind her.

"Anders, decorum if you will," Alyx sighed.

"Oh, sorry, mum. I didn't realize we were heading into a tea party."

"Anders—"

"What?"

"Shut. Up."

"Well, aren't we snippy today? Is it that time of the month?" Anders grumbled dejectedly.

"Silence you fool!" Nate hissed at Anders. "Do you want to alert every darkspawn in these tunnels of our presence?"

"Wouldn't they already know of our presence? With the whole 'tainted-blood-they-can-sense-us-just-as-we-can-sense-them' nonsense…just saying," Ander replied sarcastically, narrowing his eyes at Nate.

"That doesn't mean that you should jump up and down and yell, 'Here I am!' Anders," Nate replied coolly.

"Well that would be just plain stupid," he huffed, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Enough! The both of you!" Alyx growled, shooting a scathing look behind her.

"Uh, Commander—"

"I mean it, Anders! Are you five years old, that you can't keep silent for more than a few minutes?"

"I think you shoul—"

"Are you even listening—"

"Watch out for that—"

"—to the words that are coming out of my…what is that?" she said as she stared at the ground beneath her feet.

It was glowing.

"What is that?" she repeated.

She had thought it strange that anyone would bother engraving the floor of a mine shaft, but knowing very little of ancient dwarven customs, she didn't give it a lot of thought. Now that her mind was starting to go numb, she wished she had paid more attention to where she was going.

"Magical…booby…trap," Anders breathed, apparently besieged by the same incapacitation that was sweeping over her.

Oh, shit, she thought as her vision began to swim and her arms and legs refused to move at her silent command.

"Nobody…panic," she ground out between clenched teeth.

"Bloody…brilliant…plan…Falcon," he replied.

I am so killing Anders later if we survive this, Alyx thought before her head reeled and everything suddenly faded to black.

Her hearing was the first thing that returned to her, though it was weak…muffled; like trying to hear a conversation from the other side of a thick, stone wall. She couldn't understand the words but that voice…so very close yet so very far away…she knew that voice. She listened harder, and recognized the other voices that were buzzing just at the edge of her consciousness. So familiar…

Soon other sensations began to develop. She could feel something cool and wet slip across her brow and then trickle down her neck to the crevice between her breasts. She began to feel a tingling warmth climb up her arms and legs. It was a pleasant feeling as well as a familiar one.

Healing magic. Am I injured? She thought.

She bid her eyelids to open, but they were heavy...ever so heavy…

"I think she's waking," the closest voice said.

Slowly, Alyx opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first but quickly sharpening, only to focus on a set of all-too familiar silverite eyes staring down into hers with concern.

Strangely her first thought was, He must have the longest eyelashes I have ever seen on a man, only to be followed by the more practical, He looks really worried. Not about me I hope.

"Thank the Maker," she heard Anders breathe from somewhere nearby.

Nate continued to stare down at her, the strained look only leaving his eyes when she began to focus. It was then that she realized that she was draped across his lap, his arm and shoulder supporting her back. Alyx's breath seized in her throat as she realized just how very intimate of a position she was in. Without thinking, she sprung up from his lap and was across the room before she could register the dizzying sensation that nearly made her stumble to the ground. For a moment she thought she glimpsed a flicker of hurt in his steely gaze, but readily dismissed it as a figment of her imagination.

Rubbing her temple, Alyx took a look around and noticed for the first time that they weren't in a room but a dungeon. All five of them were in the same cell, their armor and weapons had been taken and replaced with plain, dirty homespun clothing. Nothing even remotely sharp or useful was in sight.

Out of habit she reached for the chain she always wore around her neck (a nervous habit she picked up over the years) and gasped when she felt nothing but skin. No, no, no! She thought as tears pricked the back of her eyes. Of all the things for them to take, that was the last thing she would ever want in the hands of the darkspawn. She could care less if she got the rest of her things back, but she wasn't leaving until she retrieved that pendant.

"Are you alright? How do you feel?" Anders asked her, breaking into her silent panic.

"A bit woozy, but otherwise whole. What happened?" she asked, trying her hardest to sound nonchalant.

"Not entirely sure, Commander. The darkspawn stripped us of our gear and dumped us in this cell…all except you, that is. We were beginning to lose hope when they finally brought you in. Do you remember anything?" Anders replied.

"It's a bit hazy…I…I remember a darkspawn…or at least I think it was a darkspawn. He spoke to me, just like the one at the Vigil…only he seemed to know me…"

Alyx's brow furrowed in concentration as she recalled a twisted, grotesque face hovering over her; of struggling to sit up, only to find her arms and legs restrained …and then a dark voice rumbling across her senses…a voice that sent chills straight up her spine.

"So you are the Commander of the Grey Wardens? Do not be frightened. Your injuries have been tended to. I apologize for what I must do, I do not wish to be your enemy, but now is not the time for this. Shhh…rest…"

"What did it want?" Oghren asked from the opposite corner of the cell.

"I wish I knew," she replied with a sigh.

"Well I for one am not in the mood to wait around to find out," Anders interjected as he stood to his full height.

"Yer one to talk, sparkles. We wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if it weren't fer that smartass mouth of yers," Oghren spat.

"He-ey!" Anders cried, incensed.

"It wasn't his fault, Oghren. Besides, this is hardly the time to be bantering accusations around. We need to find a way out of here, and quickly," Alyx said.

"Shh! Someone's coming!" Nate hissed from behind her.

They could hear the screech of rusted metal on metal as a door on the other side of the room swung open. A small figure in chainmail slipped through the portal.

"Seranni!" Velanna cried as she jumped to her feet, eyes widening as she took in the bruised, bloodied skin and milky eyes of one long infected by the taint. "Oh creators, what have they done to you?"

"They haven't done anything. I…I'm fine, Velanna. It's not me he wants…I have to get you out before something bad happens. I don't want anyone else to be hurt," Seranni said, her voice shaking.

"Yes, alright. Let me out and I'll take you home," Velanna replied impatiently, her hands constricting around the heavy metal bars that separated her from her kin.

Seranni took a key from out of a small bag at her hip and unlocked the heavy cell door. Velanna launched herself into her sister's arms, but the other woman hesitated and stepped back from out of her sister's embrace.

"The darkspawn have your things. You can still get it all back if you're careful and clever. They're going to come back to check on you. You have to hurry," Seranni told them.

"Seranni, you have to tell me what's going on. You must know something," Alyx pleaded.

"I-I don't know anything!" Seranni hissed and then snapped her head around as if hearing something they could not. "They're coming. You have to go, find your way out of the mines. Please!"

"Seranni, wait!" Velanna cried after her sister's fleeing form.

She tried to follow her but Alyx held her back.

"Let me go human!" Velanna hissed as she fought Alyx's grip.

"She's tainted, Velanna. Beyond anything even I might have been able to offer."

"No! I can't just leave her here with these…these things. There has to be another way!"

"If there is, I swear I'll do everything in my power to help her, but right now we need to find a way out of here."

Velanna ceased struggling and hung her head in resignation. Alyx let her go and signaled for them to get ready to move. She could hear the howl of approaching darkspawn echoing off the stone walls.

"We'll have to fight our way out. Anders, Velanna, take front guard. We might not be armed, but you both still have your magic. Paralyze them and we'll finish them off. We'll take whatever weapons we come across," she commanded as they prepared to embark.

They picked their way through the tunnels, collecting weapons from the fallen darkspawn as they went. It was slow going, but they were making progress…or so Alyx thought. It was hard to tell in the dark, dank tunnels that all looked so much alike. They turned yet another corner when Alyx nearly ran smack dab into Anders, who had come to an abrupt halt in front of her.

"Hey! That thing has my stuff! Oh, you're going to be in pieces when I'm done with you!" he yelled as he pointed at a ghoul wandering around an open area of the mine wearing Anders' robes, his staff strapped jauntily to its back.

Suddenly, darkspawn and ghouls alike poured into the chamber as ciaos ensued.

"Look for the ghouls with our gear!" Alyx yelled above the din of battle.

It was a long, grueling fight just by sheer numbers alone. By the end Alyx was exhausted and drenched with sweat and blood, but she didn't care. They were alive and each of them had retrieved their personal belongings from the ghouls. After pulling on the last of her armor, she reached for her necklace still latched around the ghoul's neck. She shuddered to think of such a personal item being worn by the twisted, decomposing creature in front of her, but the sheer pleasure of retrieving it far outweighed her disgust.

"Ick," she muttered under her breath as she leaned over the figure to unclasp the chain rather than try to lift it up over the ghoul's head. The clasp came free faster than she thought it would, dumping the contents of the necklace to the floor with a clang. She snatched up the pendant with her free hand, but the ring that had also been on the chain had rolled away, only to stop next to Nate's foot halfway across the room. He leaned down and picked it up, eyes widening infinitesimally before he crossed to her and held it out.

"Thanks," she murmured, taking the ring from him and looping it back on the chain along with the pendant before securing it around her neck. She breathed a deep sigh of relief as she felt the comforting weight of it as it fell into place just above her heart. "Are we ready to move on?"

"I guess, though I don't rightly know what that nug-humpin'-son-of-a-bitch did to my boots," Oghren grunted.

"You have them on the wrong feet, dwarf," Anders replied dryly, sounding almost bored with Oghren's antics.

Oghren looked down at his feet and then shrugged as Anders rolled his eyes. Alyx shook her head in disbelief as they continued through the winding passages, praying that they were headed in the right direction.

Oddly enough, Nate kept pace with her, an unusual as well as an unforeseen occurrence. She could tell something was on his mind by the way he kept glancing over at her, but she also knew if she pressed him he would retreat back into his shell. So she waited from him to speak his mind. She didn't have to wait long.

"Care to explain to me why you have a signet ring with the Theirin crest on it?" he asked her in a low voice so that only she could hear his query.

Shit. Of course he would recognize the royal seal. Double shit, she thought as her heart began to race. Alyx visibly gulped as he stared at her speculatively, waiting for her to respond.

"Look, I swear I'll explain everything when we get back to the keep, but now is not the time. Trust me, Nathaniel, please," she whispered frantically.

He narrowed his eyes at her, his lips thinning in obvious disapproval, but finally acquiesced before slowing his pace to fall behind her. Her heart dropped when she noticed that he adopted the same shuttered expression he had worn before they had made peace with each other back in Amaranthine.

Alyx's heart constricted painfully. She knew all along that she would have to tell them sooner or later; she just hadn't counted on 'sooner' being thrust upon her by her own stupid carelessness. Fear crept through her veins as the full impact of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. She would have to tell them the whole of it. If she played in half-truths now, it would anger them all the more later on for keeping them in the dark for so long…and they would be angry, of that she was certain. If only she had more time. She had counted on having time enough to consider a course of action before involving them in a burden that should not be there's to uphold in the first place. That was the reason (in part, she reminded herself) that only a handful of her most trusted companions knew of it, because the knowledge in and of itself was what scared her more than anything else.

"Are you sure you're alright, Commander?" Anders asked as he moved to her side. "You look a bit peekish."

"I'm fine. Really," she replied, shooting him a weak smile. "Let's concentrate on getting out, and then you can fuss over me all you want."

"Is that a promise?" he asked suggestively, his voice pitching to a lower octave.

Alyx rolled her eyes, but shot him an answering smile all the same.

They moved faster now that they were fully armed and ready for anything the darkspawn could throw at them. They found more ruins deeper into the mines, which could only be a good sign, or so Alyx thought.

"There has to be a way out from here," she called as they began opening doors and peering into each chamber with the hope that one of them would lead back to the surface.

The last of the rooms she recognized. It was here that she had been held captive by the strange, twisted figure with the unsettling voice. A chill shot down her spine as her gaze drifted to the ancient alter perched in the middle of the room before taking in the rest of their surroundings. Half of the chamber was lined with tables piled high with books and worn scraps of parchment. The rest looked like something straight out of one of her more colorful nightmares. Empty cages hung perversely over the mouth of a pit holding Maker knows what at the bottom, a strange green-tinged fog wafting up from its depths.

"Ugh, what is that smell," Anders ground out as he pinched his nose.

"I'd rather not know," Nate murmured, his face white with disgust.

Alyx meandered the room distractedly, running a hand over the contents of the closest table.

"It's a laboratory," she murmured as she scanned some of the notes scribbled on a stack of loose parchment.

"What in blazes would a darkspawn be studying?" Oghren asked.

"I'm not really sure. These are only fragments…sporadic thoughts if you will, but he seems to be fascinated by Grey Wardens. I'm sorry, Velanna, it looks like your sister was aiding him willingly."

"Creepy," Anders replied, shuddering at the thought.

"I concur. Let's get out of here. I think I've seen enough of this place to last me a lifetime," Alyx said as she turned to leave.

They continued to walk through the seemingly endless corridors until they came upon a flight of stairs; the first that they had seen since entering the mine. They led to a set of heavy metal doors thrown open to reveal a vast, empty chamber lined with ancient, crumbling Tevinter architecture.

He was waiting there for them, standing on a balcony overlooking the main corridor. Both a tainted dwarf and Velanna's sister stood proudly at his side. The Architect, a voice whispered in her mind. The thought startled her. She couldn't recall ever learning his name for the lack of a better term, yet she knew it all the same.

"What is she doing with that…that monster? Seranni!" Velanna cried, her voice echoing off the tall, stone walls.

Seranni turned to look at her sister, eyes filled with fear and remorse. She then shifted her milky gaze to the creature standing beside her, a queer smile forming on her lips. The Architect nodded at Seranni as if in answer to a silent question, and then turned on his heel and walked back through a gap in the wall behind them. When the trio moved passed the opening, he raised his hands and began to cast. A bright ball of energy came to life within his hands, pulsing and growing until it shot from his fingers. The wall crumbled, effectively caving in the gap and making it impossible for them to follow.

"No! Seranni! Come back," Velanna cried, though her voice weakened as the last of her hope seemed to fade.

They didn't have time to wonder at Seranni or the darkspawn's strange behavior for long. A feral cry and the beating of giant wings was all the warning they had before not one but two dragons landed within the chamber, their predatory eyes gleaming in the low light. The dragons began to close in on their small group, clucking their giant beaks in excitement. Alyx slowly took a step back and then another, only to run into a solid form directly behind her. She could feel strong fingers wrap around her arm followed by a pulse of magic that spread lightly across her skin. She returned Anders' firm grasp with a brief squeeze of her own, garnering what strength that she could with the silent vote of confidence.

"I hope you've been working on those ice spells, Anders," she murmured. "Because I really think we're going to need them."

*Muse Tunes: "Cloning Discovery" by Graeme Revell (Aeon Flux OST) and "Merchant of Death" by Ramin Djawadi (Iron Man OST).