Chapter 56

Fight-or-Flight

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Sparks of ice and fire traveled throughout each vein in Kallian's body, causing electrical currents so strong that almost all her muscles twitched at the same time, as if she were holding onto thunder in the middle of a heavy storm. The pain was intense, but the mark on her shoulder was where it hurt most. It never had burned like this before, and for a moment the little elf thought her skin was being consumed in flames.

The moment lasted only a split second, but it was enough to knock her out of bed. When she came to, feeling the side effects of the curse and the bad sensation in her chest, she was lying on the ground. Her arms were wrapped in sheets, and her face was tucked inside a boot.

Her mark was pulsing frantically.

She knew magic well, perhaps even a little more than she would like. She knew when a mage was conjuring; it was something she could feel in her flesh, and could read in their nature through their mana. It was a gift that she had never wanted, but that she'd learned to listen to over the years. And what she felt there now was stronger than herself.

She felt a stupidly strong source of power enter her mark. An absurdly powerful force that seemed to connect directly with the Lyrium in her shoulder to finally explode in fire and pain.

It was a mage, she thought with conviction. It seemed to be a mage, yes, but the strange thing was that it also seemed to be a Darkspawn. And as it approached, the more the two sensations mingled, and in the end she was not sure what it was.

But it didn't matter what it was, not really. What mattered was that the truth was running toward her with an aura thirsty for blood, too fast for any human being.

I need to tell someone, she thought, forcing her body into an upright position on the floor. With one hand, she held the side of the bed hard as she prepared to rise from the ground.

She hesitated for a moment.

"If there is someone up there ..." She began, an attempt to say a prayer, but then shook her head in disgust. "No. You're on your own, Kallian, as always." She held the side of the bed harder. "Come on, body, do not fail me now ..."

She started to push.

It felt as if there were needles sticking into her muscles each time they contracted, but she tried to ignore the pain as her legs firmed on the ground. It did not take long for her to stand, supporting herself with all the strength she had, resting her hands on the bed while breathing deeply. Sweat glistened on her forehead, but like everything else, she was willing to ignore it.

She had to find Lanaya, whatever the cost.

She was wearing light clothes, which Eilleen had probably taken from her own backpack to lend to her - a pair of pants that left exposed shins and a blouse with thin straps, probably to facilitate medical care. This bothered her a bit, so she then picked up a blouse with buttons from her own pack and threw it over her shoulders before trying to walk out of the tent. Even the idea of people staring at the demon's mark was more terrifying to her than walking around completely naked in the middle of a city.

And, oddly enough, walking seemed to be easier than standing.

It was as if, suddenly, she was connected to a type of external power source that was controlling her body. It was oddly refreshing, but not enough to make her feel good. But even so, she tried not to think too much about it - just walked out of the tent and surveyed the camp cautiously, looking for the First.

It was a very pleasant morning - the sun was peeking through the clouds, warming a bit of her skin. The trees glistened with raindrops still refusing to drop from their leaves, looking like shiny, bright stones amid the vibrant orange colors of autumn. In the distance, the birds began to sing and play in the air, doing cartwheels and making invisible drawings with their flight paths. It was really beautiful, but Kallian could only think of the bloodshed that that perfect landscape would witness if she could not get those people out of there.

The elves were long since engaged in their morning chores, so she had some difficulty in identifying the First amid all of the people.

"Kallian?" Lanaya's voice echoed at her side, making the elf nearly jump out of her own skin. By her side was Sarel, the storyteller, looking at her with an air of suspicion. "What are you doing up? You should be resting."

"Lanaya, we urgently need to talk," she said, returning the lopsided look of Sarel with the same petulance. "Alone, if possible."

"I do not like that, Lady Lanaya." Sarel said, running his hand through his brown hair. "I will not leave you alone with this woman, even though she is an elf."

"Nonsense, Sarel," said Lanaya but Kallian the cut him off immediately.

"There's something coming," she said at once, whispering, so only the three of them could hear. "Something with very strong magic, and it's coming to kill."

"What are you talking about, girl?" Sarel raised his voice, but Lanaya interrupted.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, frowning.

"Exactly what I said." Kallian responded quickly, putting a hand on the First's shoulder. "And it will be here soon. You have to warn the hunters, organize your warriors ..."

"You got to be kidding," Sarel mocked angrily. "Ignore her crazy delusions. She's no better than a human's bitch, my lady, she must be up to something."

Kallian snorted.

"What could be coming to attack us, Kallian?" Lanaya asked quietly. "Darkspawn?"

Kallian hesitated for a brief moment before confessing, "It doesn't feel like any Darkspawn I've ever known. Perhaps an emissary, I can not say, but ..."

"What boldness! You think the Creators have given you the power to see the future?" Sarel snorted. "Give a sedative to her, already."

Lanaya seemed to consider her words carefully before asking, "Are you sure?"

"Believe me, I just know," she begged, taking her hands off the First's shoulders and putting them on her own. "There's something coming, and it's not good. Please Lanaya ..."

Lanaya stared at her for a few moments in silence, looking deep into her yellow eyes. She had doubts about the strange request - after all, it was an atypical situation. But then she finally noticed where the elf's little hand was - squeezing her shoulder. The shoulder marked by Lyrium, not the bite on her neck.

Kallian breathed, relieved to see the bright flash that lit the First's eyes - like one who had just discovered the final piece of a complex puzzle.

"How long do we have?" she asked finally, with urgency in her voice.

"You can not be serious ..." Sarel began, but it was Lanaya's turn cut in.

"Sarel, please," she ordered, and the elf obeyed, albeit unwillingly.

"Not long," Kallian said after some thought. "How many hunters do you have available? Can we ..."

"Actually ..." She began, paling slightly. "Zathrian took them all to the forest ..."

"He WHAT?" Kallian almost screamed, and a ball of air got stuck in the throat of the little elf - a mixture of sickness with an uncontrollable urge to cough, which she could only stop after staying silent and taking several deep breathes.

"He said he had found the hiding place of the wolves ..." Lanaya started trying to justify her Keeper's decision, but Kallian interrupted.

"What a son of a bitch!" Kallian almost growled with the rage she felt, and the ball of air burst at once into a compulsive coughing fit.

Sarel seemed exasperated, especially when Lanaya supported and soothed her crisis with a generous dose of golden, healing rays.

"How dare you say this of our First?" The storyteller raised his voice, with an accusing finger in the air. "You have no right ..."

"Could you to shut your fucking mouth ?!" Kallian shouted angrily. Sarel retreated scared, pulling his outstretced fingers into a fist. "Thank you."

Lanaya did not say a word. Considering the current dangerous situation, her head was spinning too fast to worry about putting a stop to their personal arguing.

"The timing could not be worse," Lanaya mused, worrying her lower lip with her teeth.

"And I have strong reason to believe that the timing was..." Kallian began, but shook her head. It was not the time to think ill of Zathrian, not to stay angry with him because he acted exactly as she imagined he would. "Never mind. Say, Lanaya, do you have a refuge? Somewhere safe where we can hide your people?"

"There's a place ..." Lanaya began, but grimaced. "But I do not think there is anywhere safe in the Brecilian, with the wolves and everything."

"It will have to work. Wait a minute ..." The elf began to look around, as if searching for something. "Where's Sten?"

"Sten?" Lanaya asked, genuinely confused, following Kallian as she moved forward, away from the door for a better view.

"The Qunari." The little elf pointed to the place where she had set up guard. "He was here last night."

"Ah," Lanaya instantly blushed, looking away immediately. "Well, that ... When Zathrian left, he ordered the guards to arrest the Qunari with the others."

Kallian stopped searching, standing perfectly still for a moment.

"Arrested with others?" She snapped, raising her voice. She could not contain the anger that burst within her at those words. "I hope this does not mean what I think it does."

"We obeyed Zathrian's orders with security in mind ..." Lanaya tried to justify, but Kallian not did not allow that - instead, she let out a loud, angry growl, wanting no excuses.

"I have little interest in the reasons for Zathrian's actions." She exploded at once, staring at the First in the same fierce way she had once done in the healer's tent. "I will not allow them to be arrested. And you will come with me to release them. Immediately."

Lanaya only observed Kallian intently as she spoke. The elf had courage and boldness, and her lack of respect now could not have been ignored if the situation were different. But the First was smart enough to recognize a desperate person when she saw one, and somehow she could see a twinge of fear hidden in Kallian's threats.

She understood that the power of Kallian's mark was as unique as it was dangerous, but still decided to trust her instincts. It was a gamble, but she would rather risk it now than regret it later. Especially when the other elf showed more than enough signs that she believed the threat was real.

"Lanaya!" shouted Sarel, exasperated, seeing the First nodding with a serious expression. "You can not ...!"

"Sarel, I need you to do something for me." She put a firm and gentle hand on his shoulder. "Take all into hiding in the caves. If this ... thing ... is really coming our way, we will then have no time to lose."

"Why trust her, First?" Sarel asked, genuinely concerned. "And if it's a trap?"

"You want to risk the lives of our people, Sarel?" Lanaya answered with another question, frowning.

The elf considered her wordsl, with his mouth still open to answer, but in the end only agreed softly, instead of saying what he really thought. "Okay, First. I will take the people to the refuge, as you asked."

The elf was not pleased, but nodded anyway. He still could not accept this choice, or that she'd chosen to take the stranger's side, but she was still the First. She must have her reasons, and it was up to him only to obey.

He passed them with a frown on his face, staring at Kallian with contempt. The little elf stared back with the same intensity, and her red eye, because of the curse, gave a totally macabre air to her figure, so small and fearless, and Sarel felt slightly intimidated by the elf.

Sarel then finally looked away before he left, starting to talk to people as he was slowly being swallowed by the crowd that formed around them.

Kallian

Lanaya was a complicated person, to say the least.

Perhaps complex was an even better definition, as it was a mixture of different manifestations of her personality working alternatively, nearly all of the time. It was like tossing a dice, and always getting the most improbable results in every round of this convoluted game - in one moment, she looked at me as if to dissect me alive; Then in the next, she looked at me full of compassion and understanding that went beyond reason.

It was maddening to deal with.

But one thing I had to admit - the girl had fiber, and I liked that. She did not look away when I provoked her, and seemed to be studying me constantly, just as I did to her. It was almost as if a single connection was forming between us, weaving small silent dialogues together as she steared the conversation. Even so, I had not expected that someone like Sarel would understand what simple eye contact could change in a conversation, let alone had I wanted to beg a vote of confidence from him.

This was a thing between us two only. Only those who have closely witnessed the deepest and most intense manifestation of evil are able to understand the true value of eye contact in a conversation. It was easier to know what to look for when you have truly lived the worst the world has to offer you, and she knew it as well as I did. And, as the dance was evolving, the signs that she was believing in me were increasing (as well as my respect for this woman, even though I was still reluctant to accept it), and it almost made me forget that this same person held my companions imprisoned somewhere in the camp.

Almost.

"Come." Lanaya invited me to join her with an outstretched hand pointing the way. She was serious and concerned with her face composed and her shoulders stiff, but did not seem to be a threat. It made my shoulders relax, but I'm sure I still wasn't necessarily friendly. When I followed her, she added, "I believe you have something in mind."

"Some things, yes." I was unable to avoid the frustration in my voice.

First, my companions had been arrested. PRISONERS. Chained probably, like I had been only a few days ago, to that makeshift bed. And that was one of the things that kept me irritated.

Freedom could be overestimated for some, but not for me - I, myself, was always stuck, a prisoner of my own mind, where a fucking demon wiped the floor with my face all night. So, thinking a bit about my situation, it was very easy to see how this story of holding someone against their will irritated me.

And then Lanaya was complicit with it. The person who was probably the only one who could help me, and that I might trust. This complicated everything. Even more because she knew nearly the whole truth about me, and as much as I was acting like I was in a position of authority, in fact, my fate was practically in her hands. And the worst part of it all was that I could not tell what she intended to do about it.

Then suddenly she stopped, perhaps noticing that I had not kept pace with her rapid strides or became aware of my silence, I could not tell. She simply stopped and stared at me over her shoulder.

"You did not know where the refuge was, and did not asked for help," she said seriously, and I only attempted to support one of the trees as she spoke. "I know you do not plan to run away with them. I just don't know what your plans are."

I narrowed my eyes and she stared back at me, with my fists clenched firmly on the side of my body. In the background, you could hear the bustle of the elves as they began to despair in the face of imminent attack, as well as the agitated steps of those who were still trying to gather their belongings before leaving.

"So," I began, but I held my voice low enough so only the two of us could hear it. "You mean because of my problem with the demon, I must be up to something?"

She raised her eyebrows in surprise partly because I was so direct, but deep down it seemed she believed that I already had the answer in mind. It was almost as if she waited for that answer.

"Looks like it, actually," she said seriously, and crossed her arms. It was her tic, I knew. And as much as she was serious, she was also very nervous - I could see that clearly. "And that's what people will conclude after they know your dirty little secret."

I frowned.

She stared at me for a long time, still with folded arms, leaving the threat in the air. In the background, the noise started to cease - most elves were already organized in small groups, and were leaving the camp hastily. For their sakes, it was better that way.

So Lanaya closed her eyes and sighed, relaxing her shoulders and letting her arms drop. One hand extended toward me as she approached with the same haste as her clanmates. She offered a shoulder to support me as I walked, but I coldly refused, taking a few steps away from her.

"Just show me the way," I said through clenched teeth. My bad mood at this point was stronger than any headache or nausea. I was burning with anger, with their games, their Keeper, that place ... everything.

All I wanted was to get out.

She shrugged and led me in silence, however, quickly to where my companions were incarcerated. Until then, I'd thought I'd reached the limits of my frustration, but then life gave me another surprise.

I thought they were chained inside a tent, being treated with a minimum of dignity. Until then, I could pretend to understand her side and the reality of having to deal with strange and dangerous people within her own home. Yes, deep down, I could understand the concern, I swear I could understand, even if it filled me with rage.

But then I find my fellow companions trapped inside cages - yes, cramped cages, traps for bears, perhaps - which had no protection against the weather, and their small size forced them to sit with their heads down, like slaves or worse.

Sten was inside one of them, visibly uncomfortable with evidence of a recent battle clearly marring his body, and also a massive head wound, covered in dried, tacky blood. Leliana, on the other hand, was intact, but no less comfortable hugging her own knees and wrapped in a thick, wet blanket.

And in a third cage was Shaw.

My puppy was tied by the legs. His snout had a thick rope wrapped so tightly he barely could breathe, and his fur was soaking wet.

When he saw me, he wagged his tail. It hurt me to see his skin sliding over his ribs as his breathing accelerated with happiness when he saw me.

It broke my heart.

"Ah! Kallian!" Leliana said, her blue eyes shining beneath her ropes of wet hair. "You are still alive! They would not say…"

Sten remained silent, a mixture of humiliation and rage painting his rugged features. I could only imagine how terrible it must have been for the proud warrior to be put in a cage for the second time, although this time it was clear he had not gone willingly.

"Wait!" I shouted, suddenly struck by who wasn't locked in a cage. "Where is Morrigan?"

Leliana inched forward as best as she could in the cramped space. "She ran off, Kallian. I do not know where she is now, or if she will return."

I was hardly surprised, yet I still felt a new wave of rage flow over me. The witch had always been clear that she put herself first. Typical selfish behavoir. I wanted so badly to punch something or someone, but first I needed help my friends.

"Let them out," I turned back to Lanaya, growling. I could not control myself and punched one of the nearby tables, full of those macabre instruments of interrogation. The force of my fist was so great that some of the tools simply bounced once and fell to the ground. "Let them out, NOW!" I exploded, screaming out the anger held within my body in the form of a cry.

Lanaya faltered slightly, and the surprise on her face was not greater than that of my imprisoned friends.

The clearning had other empty cages, as well as some wooden tables and a small tent with cabinets and supplies. Watching the whole scene was a single Dalish guard, who approached quickly, perhaps because of my outburst of anger. Of course, he was not happy with the way I talked to the First, and came with a sword raised in his hand.

"Hold your tongue, young lady." He pointed his sword at me, and I immediately grabbed a slicing tool from the table to use against him. "Nobody disrespects our First."

"Do not you dare approach me, Dalish warrior," I snapped, pointing my little wooden carving tool toward him. "I do not need more incentive than that to kill you."

"You have no balls for that, city girl," he said, convinced of his advantage.

"Go ahead and try me, forest dweller," I replied in the same derisive tone. This young elf had no idea what I was capable of, and what I'd already done to yet be alive and standing before him.

My grip on the tool handle was so strong that I could almost see the veins in my arm pulsing through my skin. I was serious about it, and the only one who had not realized it was the guard. He threatened to approach me, but could not complete his attack. Lanaya grabbed his arm before he could make his move.

"No one will kill anyone here," she said in her authoritative tone. "I want you to release the prisoners and move directly to safety with the others."

"But Lady Lanaya ..." he said, astonished. "They are dangerous. They brought the wolves upon us. In addition, Keeper Zathrian ..."

"In Keeper Zathrian's absence, I give the orders." She was adamant, and in the face of the her wrath, the warrior wavered. I just watched them closely, still with the pointy tool in my hand. "There is an attack coming, Lyn. A big one. I need you to help guide the others to the refuge in the mountains. Quickly!"

He looked from the First and then back to my companions, and finally at me before lowering his head and nodding.

With haste, he ran into the small tent and came back with a key in hand, opening the cages one by one until he finally picked up his equipment and ran, without looking back.

I layed the chisel to the side and went straight to the cell of Shaw, with long, slightly wobbly steps. Beside me, Sten and Leliana began to crawl out of those fucking bear cages in silence, having only stared wide-eyed at our discussion.

I heard a gasp of surprise behind me, but I ignored it. At that time, I had little care for what Lanaya thought of it all.

"Frankly," I started to grumble loudly as I undid the knots that bound my poor puppy. "You said I could trust you, Lanaya. You said would ensure the MINIMUM of decent treatment for us!"

"And I did ..."

"The hell you did!" I interrupted with another scream. I sounded more like Noah talking than myself. Had Noah known what they'd done to our companions, and still left them in this condition? He couldn't have. If Noah had seen this, there would be a trail of dead elves on the ground. But even as these thoughts raced through my mind, my anger was still boiling inside me.

"THOSE are decent conditions?" I pointed a finger at the small prisons. "Holding my friends IN A FUCKING TINY CAGE? Leaving them in this place of shit under an OPEN SKY IN A STORM MEANS DECENT TO YOU?!"

The anger inside me was like a little ball of lava, which was expanding more and more with every word I said. It was consuming me, choking me, and I needed to get it out before the flames of frustration consumed everything inside me. And at this point, I had little care to the veiled threat of blackmail she had made earlier, about revealing my secret.

Who would care in this situation?

"By all the demons of the Fade, Lanaya. You TIED MY DOG." I finished releasing the knots around his mouth, and he greeted me with a canine kiss on the cheek, wagging his tail even with a holocaust going on around us. "What kind of heartless person are you?!"

I stood up, leaning on the bars of the cage breathing heavily, and then Leliana was beside me, pulling my arm over her shoulder. I allowed the human to help me, even if her clothes were completely drenched and freezing, feeling grateful to be dividing the weight of my body with someone else. Even after being in a cage for who knows how long, Leliana still had more strength than me in that moment.

"You okay?" I asked Leliana, who blinked in surprise at my concern. Her grip around my waist grew stronger, but in a strangely affectionate way. I could feel her icy fingers touching my skin, and the slight tremor of her body when the wind blew through her wet clothes.

"We are unharmed. Cold, but we are okay," she admitted, leading me back to the table. With a precise movement, she shoved aside the tools and made room for me to sit. Her expression changed from one of concern to almost one of censure. "In fact, we would be far worse if not for the First ..."

It was my turn to flash surprise.

Leliana stared skeptically, but she shrugged and smiled. "Your outrage is understandable considering how things appeared, but you know as well as I do that appearances can be deceiving." Her lips were white, and her cheeks pale, but she seemed to be telling the truth. As my gaze moved to Sten (who was leaning against the cage, arms crossed, being intimidating) the Qunari nodded.

"She gave us food," he said, as if reading my thoughts. "She covered the cages with wooden boards. Gave us blankets." He pointed back, where several wooden boards lay splayed on the grass. "The storm took them."

It disarmed me completely. My head could not assimilate it all, after what I'd seen, that the words "Lanaya" and "help" could be used in the same sentence. This was against everything I'd believed until then.

But then, Shaw went to her. He wagged his tail, hesitantly, half contained, but remained quiet in his place, just stretching his legs and popping bones.

"I did what I could," Lanaya said, crossing her arms as she leaned on the table next to me. She did not look me in the eye as she settled comfortably, just stared at the horizon while hugging her body. "It was the best I could do. Small deeds, yes, but it was done; You cannot accuse me of not having cared."

It was my turn to be silent.

Leliana was right in front of me, encouraging me to continue, with those big blue eyes, so full of hope and good intentions, it was hard to face her for long without feeling remorse, while Sten looked at me curiously. Both expected a response, and both seemed ready to draw conclusions on what I said.

"I'd feel the same way if they had done this to my friends," Lanaya said, still staring at nothing. "But I'm here to help - And you have to accept that. Otherwise, we cannot move forward."

I sighed.

If what they'd said was true, then she was taking care of them even before our conversation the night before. That complicated things. I mean, I thought she was a cunning woman, who was playing both sides to her own advantage. But when we spoke, I recognized her intentions. Even believed in them, and yet the empathy I'd felt for her had seemed unfounded when I'd seen my friends in such a horrible situation. And after hearing her explaination, I no longer knew what to think. I only felt exhausted, and the weight of the wolf curse began to weigh on my shoulders.

Shaw looked at me with his wide, violet eyes. He did not ask permission to jump on my legs and bury his nose between us, as he shook his happy tail.

"There is an attack coming," I said, staring at Shaw as he, in some strange way, was trying to put his big paw on my face while attempting to lie on the table. "You have to hurry, get out of here."

"Attack?" Leliana asked, alarmed. "So it was not just a distraction to free us?"

"No," I confirmed, holding Shaw's paw before he could pull the shirt from my shoulders. "You have a short time to grab your packs and run as fast as you can."

"What is coming to attack us?" The Qunari questioned, staring at me with more intimidation than ever before. I saw his hand automatically reaching for his sword, but it wasn't there.

I opened my mouth to say something, even if I myself did not know what, but it was Lanaya who answered, "My scouts sent a message saying.. something that they were unable to identify passed them during a patrol, coming toward the camp. They believe there are wolves, but were not sure. "

I raised my brows in disbelief. It was just me or she was actually lying on my behalf?

"We can kill them." Sten said, raising his big strong hands in front of her face. "We have done it before." His hands were so powerful I thought he could probably do it without his sword.

"I do not think it will work this time," I said, crossing my arms. I'd known what I'd felt a few moments ago. I knew how strong and terrifyingly his aura pulsed when he came into my radar, and how afraid I felt upon realizing how fast he was coming at us. But what could I say to them? They would not believe it if I said that suddenly I felt a bad guy on his way to kill us. They always looked strangely at us when we talked about the darkspawn presence, even though that's a well-known Grey Warden's abilitiy. If I said I also sensed mad mages, that would either generate more questions about the source of my powers, or convince Lanaya that I was really delirious.

It was better if I stuck with Lanaya's story of the scout, and prayed that they believed us.

Unhappy with the lack of attention, Shaw nudged his nose under my arms, and I was forced to wrap them around him. It was almost as if he could sense my inner turmoil.

"The best choice you have is to go with the elves for refuge." I concluded.

"I'm not going anywhere." Now it was Sten being categorical. "My duty is to the Wardens, with you. Let the elves take care of their own problems."

Lanaya frowned.

"But Kallian will go with the elves, too" Leliana said, first with full assurance, then with a tone of terrible doubt. "You will, won't you?"

I nodded. "Noah and Eileen are still in danger because of Zathrian. And if this chaos was brought to the wolves as well, then Alistair will be, too. I need to do something."

"Why insist that the fault lies with the Keeper?" Lanaya asked, slightly irritated. "I know you have no reason to like him, but he is not the enemy. He is a good man who's just doing what he thinks necessary to protect the clan. Can't you understand that?"

"Zathrian told Eilleen that he would negotiate peace with the wolves, but instead, he led his men to the war," It was my turn to clench. Thoughts of Zathrian irritated me so much that it was easy to lose control. "And if the worst happens, Eilleen and Noah will be in the crossfire. It is not difficult to conclude who will be the first to pay for it."

"Negotiate peace?" Lanaya asked incredulously. "Is it even possible?"

"You tell me," I said, looking deep into her eyes. "You know Eilleen better than me. Your answer should be more reliable than my own."

If I had said these things about Zathrian the day before, she possibly would never have forgiven me. Maybe even expelled me from the camp or thrown me to the wolves. But, differently from what I'd expected, she did not argue with my relentless ferocity over Zathrian, which I was prepared to defend. Question me? Yes, but after bringing Eilleen's name to the conversation, she was forced to think about my words.

This may have been a low blow on my part? Maybe. But it is much better when light comes by reason, rather than by force.

Yet, when she faced me in her search for better answers, I gave her confidence instead of contempt. Conviction rather than anger. If I was hoping to gain her trust above everything, I should offer some of my own first.

She, however, was surprised by whatever she had seen there.

"So we go with you." Leliana said decidedly, looking at Sten. "I know where they kept our stuff. The lock is very simple, an amateur thing: given to break easily ..."

Lanaya cleared her throat.

"... Or we can use a key ..." Leliana completed, embarrassed.

"I don't have the key here," Lanaya said, shaking her head. She hid an almost complacent smile behind her serious facade, clearly amused that Leliana was so excited over such a small, silly thing as picking a lock.

"Well, then let us go! We cannot waste time!" She smiled, excited, like a child about to go on some romp, and somehow she managed to drag the grumpy Qunari with her. Probably he only accepted her instigation because he wanted his weapons back, but I would not be the first person to mention it.

She gestured for me to follow before vanishing into the tent, and I sighed in response. I missed my daggers more than my own clothes, so I didn't have much choice.

Before I could leave, however, Lanaya held me by the arm.

"A word?"

I stared at her suspiciously. She was serious again, and her grip on my arm was firm. Her face looked like that little torment in the heavens, anticipating a storm, cloudy and turbulent, in a unique mixture of beauty and danger.

More and more I regretted having given her so much freedom in my personal territory.

"I do not intend to apologize for defending my people," I countered, before she could say anything.

"I did not expect anything like that, do not worry." She shrugged.

"So ...?"

"Magic attracts magic," she said in a relatively low tone, and I could not help but look around to make sure we were out of the hearing of the others. "You know that, do not you?"

"Maybe?" I frowned.

Lanaya did more than just frown, she tightened her grip on my arm.

"We have no time for games, Warden." She started her scolding clearly and with indignation, trying to make the tone of her voice low enough to keep the conversation between only us, "You also know that you are unable to traverse the forest to go after Eilleen. If you walk alone and you don't fall over from exhaustion, the wolves will do this favor for you. So I can only assume you planned to stay here in the camp from the beginning. I just do not know why you are so desperate to be the bait. "

I sighed. It was me having to read people, and not the other way around. I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks in an unhealthy mixture of frustration, embarrassment and anger. I had been right, I should not have let her into my personal territory, no. Empathy was a very functional and useful thing, but could easily be a problem when it was a two-way street.

"Since you're that good at reading people's minds, why not do me a favor and take them away at once, instead of wasting time with me?" I made a slight gesture pointing to my companions, who were too focused on the task of opening the closet to pay attention to us.

"Seriously?" she asked indignantly. "You know that will not happen."

"I'll kill that thing myself," I said through gritted teeth. I knew bad magic when I felt it, and knew that guy was trouble the minute our paths had crossed.

We had a connection - whatever I had seen when my mark and his mana collided, he also saw. He knew me as much as I knew him, and just as I knew he was coming with murder in his heart, he knew I would do my best to protect.

Whether magic attracted magic or not, I had little care - what I did know was that power attracted power. He would come after me first, then Zathrian, after. And everyone in his path would suffer his fury in consequence.

"You are weak, your wounds are not healed," Lanaya said, and her eyes reflected compassion rather than anger. "You need to give up this crazy idea. Let's get away while there's still time."

"And you think that something good would come from running away?" I asked, dropping her gaze as I walked away from the table. I could almost hear the hurried sound of crushing grass as he made his way toward us. "This thing is coming for a bloodbath. How long do you think it will take him to find the trail of your elves? They would be dead before you even reached the refuge."

She opened her mouth to object, but said nothing. We both knew that bait was necessary, and that it was a only a matter of time until the thing reached the clan. Let's be honest, they were a large group - slow and defenseless, easy prey for anything. They needed someone to hold him here, save time - and I was probably the most suitable for that.

The idea of death did not bother me as much as it seemed it disturbed the others. It was pretty simple, really - it was him or me, just as in any other situation. And if it had to be me, fine. It was a dignified way out of this life, trying to do good.

No one could blame me for it.

"So, I will be with you," said Lanaya, to my surprise. I stared at her with wide eyes, but she seemed quiet with her decision. Even more than I did, if you'd ask me.

"You've got to be kidding me ..." I buried my face in my hands. At this point I really wish I hadn't been so damned exhausted. I wanted more than anything to be healthy and whole so I could stand my ground and send them all away. Even still, I couldn't bring myself to agree with her. It could well be suicide for us all if they remained in the face of the coming onslaught.

I would not have their deaths on my hands, too.

"Sigh if you must." She finally let me go, seeking my eyes between the gaps of my fingers. She knew I basically had no choice, and was clearly enjoying the game. "I am not going to change my mind."

I was searching my mind for some means to convince her to leave and take the others with her, when I heard running footsteps approaching the camp from the woods. A single set of footsteps, so light and swift I knew it wasn't the enemy. Lanaya, too, must have heard, her elven hearing as accute as mine. We both turned our heads at once, only to see the most unlikely thing. The witch, her hair a mess of tangles and her face pale and grim, came bursting into the camp as if hell itself were on her heals.

As soon as she saw us she stopped running and strode in our direct with purpose. Her lips parted in a broad, sarcastic smile when he saw me. It was her smile, that I hated deeply, telling me that whatever she was about to say would annoy me.

"Ah, I see you finally woke up." She said calmly, Despite her appearance, her face was once again composed and slightly arrogant. "It's about time, I might add."

I took a deep breath. "What do you want, Morrigan?" We were running out of time and the witch was the last thing I wanted to deal with right then.

She laughed. "For a moment I thought you would allow the Blight to solve itself on its own while you dozed."

My hand flew to my thigh, seeking the dagger I always kept with me, only to find nothing there. I clenched my fists in anger, and for a moment I really considered punching her pretty face, just to see what would happen.

"Save your energy, Warden," She turned away from me, raising her hand as if to dismiss me. She still had that cynical smile on her face, and it made my blood boil. "You will need it to deal with the wolves."

I raised my own fists to beat her, ah if I only I had. Lanaya, however, stopped me. Her steady hand held my arm before I could try my luck with the witch.

"Where were you?" I asked, and my voice once again sounded with those growls that Noah made from time to time.

"Doing your job, of course," she said unceremoniously. Also, she did not hesitate or ask permission to start casting shiny things on the ground - the electric aura made my skin tingle. "What else?"

"You ran away!" I almost cried, and this time Lanaya could not stop me from going to her and staring directly into her face, pulling her by the shoulders.

She stopped to cast those colorful things when I touched her, and the look she threw in my direction was almost uncomfortable.

"And what good would it do if I stayed here, Warden?" She pulled her arm back and returned to drawing on the ground with her sparkling magic. "While you were playing prisoners, I was out there doing something useful, something real."

I blinked a few times in surprise. I could see Morrigan not making any altruistic gestures in support of our cause (or even for us), but her sorry state told me that maybe she was telling the truth. I do not think the witch would be all disheveled if she had no good reason.

When I looked at Lanaya, I caught her distractedly staring at my back. When she saw me staring at her, she just shook her head, shrugging. I frowned, but before I could ask what could be so interesting there, Morrigan interrupted me.

"I was investigating corrupt werewolves," she said quickly, finishing her magic finally. Upon her forehead, several drops of sweat glistened as she spoke. "I know what they are, how many, and what they intend, coming to attack this camp. In addition, lucky for us, they seem to have an aversion to cold ..." She began to mark some trees with her magic as well. "I spent the last two days spreading bear traps around the camp along with the two merchants dwarves who've been following us. They said you saved their lives in Lothering or something." She shrugged.

I remember them both. Bodahn, the bearded dwarf, and Sandal, the boy of the bombs. But if I remembered correctly, I had sent them to escape to a safe place, not follow us. In addition, Morrigan setting bear traps? What?

My head began to ache.

"You can be a smartass, Kallian, but you do not know everything." She smiled victorious.

"You still have a lot to explain..." I told her, almost unhappy that she hadn't proven my opinion of her by running away.

I could never have predicted what happened next. One minute the witch stood in front of me, her usual pompous and abrassive self, the next a hurling mass of fur and teeth came flying through the air (or so it seemed) and Morrigan was on the ground underneath that monster.

It appeared the fight was on.