Credits:

Portuguese Beta: Rohh Lael

English Beta: wintryone

Artwork of Chapter 14: goo. gl /QsjoE (without the spaces) *There's "your" elf, Rohh ;)

Disclaimer: Dragon Age Universe belongs to Bioware.

Chapter 14

Something about Leadership

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The first wave of at least ten Hurlocks and Genlocks appeared among the trees. The group used the trees to take cover, just like Noah had predicted, to protect themselves from the first rain of arrows that was launched against them. Once the last arrow struck the ground, Morrigan threw a fireball at the enemies, staggering almost the entire group.

In the confusion, Kallian, Alistair and Noah moved from the tree's protection to finish Morrigan's job, stabbing and slashing the Darkspawn that were still lying on the ground as fast as they could. The enemies' number was still overwhelming; however, and soon the Wardens were forced to retreat. They were surrounded.

Suddenly, Kallian's attention was elsewhere. A vile and disturbing energy was taking form, at an alarming rate, too close to her taste. It was just like the one she'd felt inside the Tower of Ishal.

"Emissary ..." she said breathlessly.

"What?" Noah asked, looking at her.

"Fall back, NOW!" She screamed, pushing them back with all her strength. A jet of golden light exploded where they had just been, spreading quickly into the ground. Noah and Alistair had escaped by less than an inch. Kallian, however, didn't have the same luck: she fell on the ground, with one her legs paralyzed.

Noah tried to return to her side, but Alistair pulled him back to the cover of his shield, protecting both from the second wave of arrows. Once he'd noticed the Hurlock coming from behind them, Noah left the Templar's protection and killed the best before it could backstab Alistair. More and more Darkspawn were surrounding them, keeping both busy enough to move. They knew that Kallian was vulnerable, and sooner or later the others would notice that, too.

If only my arm was fully healed…! Noah thought, grabbing the handle of his two-handed sword, considering the possibility of throwing it against the ones that were surrounding the little elf. If I fail... If I'm off by even an inch, I'll kill her. Damn! He cursed mentally, giving up the idea.

The first Hurlock who approached her was ready to plunge its sword into Kallian's chest. She, however, used her good leg to push against its chest before the beast could touch her. Its own momentum crashed it to the ground. Before the Hurlock could get back to its feet, she tried desperately to move away, punching her paralyzed leg in a final attempt to regain the control of her muscles, but she wasn't even able to relieve its numbness. In the meantime, two other Darkspawn approached her.

Kallian tried, in one swift motion, to cut the legs of the first enemy, but the beast was smarter - It avoided her easily and made a deep cut in her hand, forcing her to drop one of her weapons. She aimed her remaining dagger at him, throwing it like a dart toward his head. The hurlock tried to avoid it, but the blade hit on its shoulder. As if it were nothing, the creature pulled the dagger from its flesh and threw it at a tree, where the blade stuck fast in the bark.

The Hurlock stared at her, raising its sword with a triumphant expression on its face as it realized that its prey was immobilized.

Kallian closed her eyes for a moment, certain that she would die. She took two long, deep breaths and opened her eyes again, staring at her executioner. She still had her bare hands raised, ready for one last defensive maneuver, but deep inside she knew that her chances weren't that good.

Instead of stabbing her, the Hurlock fell, hit by an arrow to its head.

Kallian didn't think twice - she stole the beast's long sword from its body and used it as cane, standing as fast as possible to get away from the confusion.

As she limped - or hopped on one foot, whatever - one by one the darkspawn fell dead – always with an always with a well-placed arrow to the head. The little elf leaned against a tree, as far as she could from the enemies, before looking at the source of the arrows.

A hooded elf with a blond hair loose in the wind was on the top of the highest rock, still shooting against the Darkspawn.

"Mahariel ..." Kallian whispered, smiling. So you finally came back, she thought.

However, she had no time to think about it. Feeling another concentration of energy, she turned her attention to the emissary again. He was channeling another magic spell - the sparks were dancing between his fingers, aimed directly at Mahariel.

Kallian knew that she couldn't do much, but something had to be done. Noah was still having trouble with some Genlocks, and Alistair was just too far to do anything in time. She took a deep breath and gathered all her strength to try to limp toward the Emissary, avoiding the few remaining Darkspawn along the way.

If she was one second late, he would have succeed.

She threw herself against the magician at the exact moment he was launching his magic, changing the lighting's direction at the last moment.

Irritated, he touched Kallian's stomach, sending a strong electrical wave through her body. She felt every one of her nerves burning as her body writhed on the ground.

"Raaarrrgghh," The emissary growled, dropping to his knees. He used the other hand to double the discharge against the little elf.

She couldn't feel her legs anymore; her vision blurred, and all that remained of her consciousness was focused on the blood bubbling inside her throat every time she tried to scream.

Kallian was on the verge of unconsciousness when the sparks suddenly ceased; she'd opened her eyes just in time to see Alistair standing behind the emissary, holding him by its neck with his sword crossing the mage's chest.

Without the electrical charge running through her body, Kallian was able to breathe again, but she wasn't feeling better at all. She coughed blood over and over again, gripping the grass as she felt the magic still running through her body.

The mark on her right shoulder never burned so intently like this before, as if it was the source of the lingering pain.

"Kallian!" Alistair said, rushing to her side. He knelt beside her, helping her to sit. Seeing that she was unable to stand by herself, he held her close to his body, forcing her to drink a potion.

She'd coughed one last time, but finally she was slowly coming back to herself.

Alistair laughed without humor, relief slowly replacing the worry on his face. "Of course you would attack someone who could melt you into a little pile of goo," he said as he wiped the blood from her chin with his fingers. "I guess that's my new job. You know, saving your life,*" he joked, helping the little elf to get back to her feet. After realizing that she wasn't able to stand by herself, he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"I didn't need help, but thanks," Kallian replied sulking, yet gratefully accepting his support. Her pride was talking on its own again, but she had no strength to fight against it.

"It's not what it seemed." Alistair, noticing her trembling hands and her still paralyzed leg, used his Templar ability to neutralize the effect of magic over her body.

"Okay, maybe I did need it," she admitted, starting to feel better. It was a relief to stand on her own again. "Let me guess: That does not give me credit either?" She asked, remembering his comment at the top of the Tower of Ishal. It was funny, rather than ironic - She wished to hit him so hard that time, misunderstanding his joking nature, and now she was using the same line with him, stifling a chuckle when she noticed his lips curving in a smile.

"No, it doesn't," Alistair said, smiling with the memory, glad that she wasn't mad at him. He let her go out of his arms, but kept himself close to her, just in case.

"So that means ...?" She crossed her arms, frowning at him.

"It means that you're crazy," he said, engaging in a fight against a Genlock, who approached them while they chatted. "A bit suicidal, too." He pressed the darkspawn with his shield against the tree, allowing Kallian to impale its neck with the stolen sword that she was using like a cane. "But you have courage, I'll give you that."

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Kallian asked, still breathing heavily. She could still feel the taste of copper in her throat.

"The choice is yours," he said, running through the last Darkspawn standing. Before he could do anything, however, Mahariel killed it with another good shot.

"We did it," Noah said breathlessly when the three recruits gathered again. Morrigan stopped a little further back, leaning disinterested against a tree. They all were staring at the Dalish, who was approaching them with her head down, the hood covering her eyes.

"Thanks for the help," Alistair said.

"You, the ones from the city, don't really know how to take care of yourselves," Mahariel said, shaking her head.

"So, the tree hugger* is back," Noah said, frowning.

"Oh, I'd almost forget about you. The guy of the eternal scowl. Howdy, Grumpy?" Mahariel asked sarcastically.

"Grumpy! Ha! I like that," Kallian said with a playful smile on her lips, pouring some water from her canteen to the wound on her hand. It burned considerably, making her smile be replaced by a grimace.

"Humph," Noah growled, visibly upset.

"Do you know each other?" Alistair asked, scratching his neck, confused.

"She was recruited by Duncan before we got to Ostagar." Kallian replied as she picked up one of Flemeth's bandages from inside her bag. She wrapped her hand gently, earning a questioning look from everyone, which she ignored.

Yes, they had a healer in the group, but no extra-sensory perception was needed to know that Morrigan was at the end of her mana. It was wise to save the last of her strength for later, in case something like this happened again.

"And why weren't you there, then?" Alistair asked, leaning against a tree. Now that the battle was over and his body relaxed, fatigue was hitting him. Suddenly, his armor was heavier than he could bear.

"Long story," Kallian replied before Noah or Mahariel could open their mouth. "So how did you find us?"

"The question is how the Darkspawn didn't," Mahariel replied, rubbing her forehead. She was covered in a cold sweat. "I went to Ostagar, as I thought you would, but I only found Darkspawn," she said, leaning against a tree, her head beginning to feel heavy. "I'd followed the trail you left through the Wilds. It was a hard job, especially because you keep zigzagging here and there, but when I'd discovered the pattern of your moves, it was obvious you were aiming for the road."

"What do you want?" Noah said a few octaves higher, his voice trembling with anger. When Mahariel didn't reply, he grabbed her by her shoulder, forcing her to face him.

Mahariel then fell weak, falling against Noah's chest. He, in turn, embraced her, to prevent her from falling. When her head touched the base of his neck, his eyes widened – her skin was so hot that it was like it was on fire, burning strongly against his own.

Noah knelt on the ground, still embracing her body. He laid her on the soft grass, his arms still wrapped around her back. The Dalish was conscious, yes, but she had no more strength to stand by herself. As her head fell back, her hood slipped.

"By the Void…!" Kallian gasped, raising her hands to her mouth.

All her veins were darkened, just like the black lines of her moon-shaped tattoo, spreading possessively through her face like a plague. Her emerald eyes, once sharp and bright were, opaque and lifeless, forever lost in the darkness. The only color in her pale skin was a slight shade of red in her cheeks, due to her intense fever.

Mahariel felt her head spin - her eyelids weighed more than her entire body. She wanted to talk, but could not find the words. It was hard even to remember how her mouth worked.

Kallian and Alistair approached them, kneeling beside Noah. The young Templar put his hand on Mahariel's forehead, examining her carefully.

"I just ..." Mahariel said weakly, stumbling on the words, feeling her strength ending quickly, as if the earth itself was draining her energy.

While she still had the Keeper's ointment, it was easy to contain these crises - one dose and a few hours of rest were enough. She'd used last dose two days ago, and since then, her body health was in a free fall – at each new crisis, her state worsened tenfold. Deep inside, Mahariel knew that she was far beyond her limit, and she'd used the last of her energy to save Kallian's life.

"I just ..." She tried again, tears beginning to shimmer in her eyes, which stared fixedly at some imaginary point in the sky. "I just did not want to die alone ..." She said, closing her eyes tightly. Her lungs began to ache as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

She was scared - her heart ached, not because of the taint's corruption, but because of the bad prospect of her current situation: Dying and alone. She was not even sure if she would meet Tamlen in the afterlife – her last actions only brought dishonor to her life. She was ashamed to call for Andruil's guidance after everything she'd done, but she couldn't help it – she was desperate.

"The taint claimed her body," Alistair said, shaking his head slowly. "I'm sorry."

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*Thanks for that, wintry :)

Please, review if you have time - I would love to hear your thoughts :)