Chapter 69: Actions and Consequences (Kallian)
When night fell at Redcliffe Castle, Kallian returned from the village. She spent the entire afternoon drinking ale in the tavern. Bella and Bodahn tried to persuade her to stop, but they were unable to handle the elf. Kallian wanted everyone around to think that she would get drunk and go to bed. But she had completely different plans.
As Kallian walked up the steps to the doors, she was greeted by Morrigan.
- I know what you want to do, - the witch said.
- Don't even try to stop or dissuade me.
- I won't. I know how hard it is for elves. Your anger is completely justified.
- Who is guarding the second floor now?
- An old friend of Daylen's and the leader of the knights. Everyone else is asleep.
- Even Shale?
- The golem is not very interested in human affairs. It is looking at the fireplace.
- Can you give me some advice?
- Stun the knight first. Jowan, although a mage, is weak in spirit. You can scare him away.
- Thanks for the advice, Morrigan.
- I'll go to the village. I don't want people to think that I'm on the same page with you.
Kallian entered the castle, carefully walking around the kitchen where Isolde, the knights and guards slept, as well as the main hall where Shale stood in front of the fireplace. She hid by the doorway, eavesdropping on the conversation between Perth and Jowan.
- Why did you decide to help us?
- I have done too many bad things for the sake of freedom. I betrayed my best friends, deceived my loved one, poisoned the Arl and his brother. I will do my best to correct my mistakes.
- Well, that's commendable. I don't like these demon talks, but if you help us get rid of this demon, I will try to make sure Arl Eamon doesn't execute you.
Kallian threw a pebble into the corner of the room. Perth took out his sword.
- Jowan, stay here. I'll check.
The knight left the room, and Kallian immediately stunned him, hitting him on the head with the blunt end of the dagger. The elf approached Jowan, holding two daggers in her hands. The mage was unarmed - Isolde insisted that he not have a staff.
- Get out of my way! – Kallian said. - This shem will pay for what he did to the elves!
- I've been given a chance to do something right for a change. I'm not going to pass that up.
- Too bad.
Kallian did not want to kill either Perth or Jowan. She knew how easy it was to disarm them both. Having knocked out Jowan with one direct blow to the face, she moved on and went up to the second floor. It was too quiet there, there were undead everywhere. Kallian, not knowing for sure whether these undead could rise again or not, approached each one and pierced its skull with her dagger.
After the third undead was finished off, Connor appeared in the corridor, accompanied by a large crowd of the undead.
- I've been waiting for you, elf, - the boy said. – You must pay for the beatings!
- And you must pay for the elves you killed!
Suddenly Connor grabbed his head and screamed.
- Lady elf, forgive me! - he shouted. - I... I didn't want to kill anyone! It's all the demon! The demon!
Kallian lowered her daggers. Is all this talk about demons really true?
- Grab her! – Connor suddenly said.
The elf fearlessly ran towards the crowd of the undead and managed to kill several of them, but there were too many of them, and they captured her. Kallian was ready to die, but none of the undead dealt her a single strong blow, they only brought her to her knees in front of Connor.
- Such actions will have consequences, - Connor. - Kick her, and kick her hard, but don't you dare kill her. I'll be right back.
Connor took out a knife and went into the bedroom, and the undead began to kick Callian. The girl could barely restrain herself and tried to lift the daggers, but it was too painful for her. A couple of minutes later, Connor returned, and in his hands was a bag filled with something.
- Bring her to the first floor, - he ordered the undead.
When everyone came down, there were not only Jowan and Perth, who had come round, but also Isolde, Shale and all the guards and knights. The undead pushed Kallian towards the others, and Jowan immediately began to heal her wounds and bruises. Isolde looked at Kallian as if wishing her death.
- Mother and the others, I'm so fed up! – Connor shouted. - I didn't bother any of you, I agreed to sit with my soldiers on the second floor, but you sent this girl after me! I would love to kill her, but I have a better idea.
Connor opened the bag and dumped the severed head of an elderly man with a grey beard onto the floor. Isolde, seeing the head, immediately fainted. Some warriors wanted to attack the undead, but Perth stopped them.
- Leave me alone! – Connor said. – If any more of you appear on the second floor, then Uncle Teagan will die next!
The boy and the undead went upstairs. Isolde rose to her feet and shouted at Kallian:
- Who asked you to go there? Because of you, my husband is dead!
Arlessa wanted to attack Kallian, but Perth held her back.
- Please, my lady, don't do this.
- Your son killed Eamon, not me! - Kallian said. - You're always blaming everyone except him!
- Lady Kallian, just leave and don't say anything. Arlessa is in shock and needs to come to her senses.
- Whatever.
Kallian left the castle without even trying to return her daggers, which were left on the second floor.
- Kallian! – Morrigan shouted to her. - Look who came to us. They've managed to heal the sick elf.
The elf saw Morrigan, Fen, Faren, Adela, Theron, the recovered Tamlen and two unknown Qunari, the elder of whom was clearly a mage, although he pretended to be a non-mage, and the younger one was a crossbowman.
- You're back! – Kallian said, approaching them. - And Tamlen, you have recovered! I am so happy for you!
- He has not completely recovered, we must perform the Joining ritual, - Adela answered. - What happened here? Morrigan only talked about defending the village.
- Arl Eamon is dead. His son Connor was possessed by a demon and was behind the attacks on the village, he killed the Arl. This is also my fault. Daylen, Neria, Alistair and Sten went to the Circle Tower to get help from the mages. They hope to save the boy despite how many he has killed.
- What? Is Eamon dead? You had only one job, and you failed at it. Who is Eamon's closest heir? Does he have other sons?
- Just Connor, I guess. Since mages cannot be leaders among the shems, then the next Arl is his brother Teagan. And he's now being held hostage by Connor.
- All of this is very difficult. We will have to kill the boy, - said the young Qunari.
- But I think we should wait, - Faren objected to him. - Our friends will come with help, and then everything will be fine.
- I could help them with the lyrium, - the older Qunari added. - But I probably shouldn't go into the Fade alone. My looks will only frighten the boy.
- A possessed boy? I could have been in his place, - Theron said. - My father was the Keeper of the clan, and everyone thought that I, like him, would become a mage. But this did not happen. I saw with my own eyes how the former First of my clan became an abomination. Nobody even tried to help him. When Marethari killed him, he managed to destroy two aravels with clanmates inside, but maybe all of this could have been prevented if Marethari had properly talked to the First. If there is an option to save this boy, then we will save him.
- You are the Grey Wardens of Ferelden, not me, - Adela said. - I'll support whatever decision you make. Now we will go to the castle. Kallian, are you with us?
- Sorry, no, - the elf said, barely holding back her tears. – I... I can't be there.
Everyone except Theron left. The Dalish hugged Kallian, who was crying.
- What happened, lethallan? I see that something is wrong.
- Have you... have you ever hated shems?
- Only those who deserved it.
- How can you not hate shems?
- I will explain. A gang of bandits killed my parents. But in this gang there were humans, elves, and dwarves. There are scum among all races, Kallian.
- Among my mother's killers there were exclusively shems. I was kidnapped by the blood mages who needed blood for a ritual. Mother burst into their lair and killed them all. But when she brought me home, she discovered a wound on her stomach from a poisoned blade. Mom was dying from poison for two days, and dad and Uncle Armael, the father of my cousins, could not help her. And there was no one to turn to. Who would agree to treat an elf? I still blame myself for what happened. If the blood mages hadn't caught me, my mother would still be alive.
- I'm very sorry that this happened, but your mother was killed not by humans in the first place, but by a group of blood mages.
- It's just... At some point, Connor freed himself from the demon's control, apologized to me, said that he didn't want to kill anyone. If he is rescued, he will live knowing that he killed his father. And this situation reminded me of what happened to my mother.
- She went there to save you, knowing what could await her. And I am sure that she didn't regret anything, since she gave her life to save her daughter.
- Thank you, Theron. I don't know how they'll treat me there, but let's go inside. There you will tell me in more detail what happened to you, how you healed Tamlen and where you got these two Qunari from.
The elves entered the castle to find Faren and their companions there.
