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"Hey, have you seen this?" Varric had a piece of parchment in his hand as he ducked out of a tent. He handed it to Bridget.
I don't want grumbling in the lower ranks that our Lord Corypheus handpicked Grey Wardens to be part of his honor guard over his Templars. Our charge is not to understand his will. It is only to obey it.
The note went on to complain that Corypheus only had a few dozen Grey Wardens left. As he read over her shoulder, Rainier growled in anger. How dare that creature corrupt the honor and dignity of the Wardens and then use them that way.
Bridget crumpled the note in her hand. "No matter. Grey Wardens or Templars, we can't let them stand in our way. We must reach that temple before Corypheus does." She gestured with her staff, and the rest of them followed her, deeper into the jungle. Rainier pushed himself in front of her as much as possible, to spare her the burden of having to hack her way through the growth herself. If he could have, he would have taken it all on for her, the Anchor and Corypheus and everything. But he couldn't. He was helpless, knowing that at some point, possibly even today, he would have to watch the woman he loved more than he'd known he was capable of loving, the woman who was bearing the child he had never dreamed of having, take on the greatest evil the world had ever faced. The idea filled him with despair.
"There. At last." She stopped, looking through the trees at a structure so old that it looked as if it had grown up from the jungle floor. "That must be the Temple of Mythal."
"Any chance Corypheus will finally grace us with his presence?" Dorian asked as they entered the grassy hall that appeared to lead to the temple's interior.
"I'd count on it. Be ready." Bridget's voice was grim.
The witch Morrigan stopped, holding up her hand for quiet. "I hear fighting ahead."
The rest of them followed her, moving as lightly as they could. Rainier brought up the rear, knowing he was the loudest of the party. As he knelt next to Bridget, he saw Corypheus down below, with a few Grey Wardens and red Templars, facing off against a few of the strange elves they had run across on their way here.
"These are but remnants," Corypheus was saying. It was the first time Rainier had heard his voice. It was as twisted as his body. "They will not keep us from the Well of Sorrows."
"Well of Sorrows?" Bridget murmured.
Morrigan lifted her hands and shook her head, denying any knowledge. Rainier wished he believed her, but he could imagine the witch capable of any level of deceit.
"Be honored. Witness death at the hands of a new god." Corypheus advanced on the elves, but as he strode between the pillars at the end of the bridge that led into the interior of the temple, they came to life, crackling with energy. Corypheus was caught there as the light fried him, burning him to cinders.
The light exploded, sending Templars and elves and Wardens flying, leaving only a smoking crater where Corypheus had been.
The elves fled; Corypheus's general continued on across the bridge with the remaining red Templars. Rainier's first reaction to Corypheus's death had been elation, but seeing how calm the general remained, he felt on edge. Wary. All was not as it seemed.
He followed the others down the steps. As they reached the place where Corypheus had died, Rainier heard a stirring behind him. The body of a Grey Warden was rising into the air, twisting and groaning, the skin flaying off of it. Rainier didn't know what kind of blighted magic this was, but it wasn't good. He took Bridget's arm. "Let's go."
Pushing her ahead of him, he ran across the bridge, trusting that the others were following. He risked a glance over his shoulder, and what he saw chilled his blood. Corypheus was back, risen from the body of the Grey Warden. And above their heads came the shriek of his dragon.
The dragon came after them, swooping across the bridge even as they gained the inside of the temple. Between them, they managed to get the heavy doors moving, and they closed inches from the dragon's snout. A blue light flashed as the doors sealed themselves, and Bridget leaned against them, panting, her hand going to her abdomen. Rainier wanted to ask. No, he wanted to carry her back to Skyhold and lock her in her quarters so he could keep her safe. But after seeing the way evil had resurrected itself, how could he? Bridget had her work to do. His was to support her in every way he could.
Catching her breath, Bridget led them farther into the temple, into a wide, sunny chamber.
"At last. Mythal's sanctum," Morrigan said, as calmly as if they had simply taken a walk here for the pleasure of it. "We should proceed before Corypheus interferes."
"Hold on." Dorian stepped forward, frowning at her. "Corypheus mentioned a Well of Sorrows. I thought he was here for an eluvian."
"I … am uncertain of what he referred to."
Bridget crossed her arms over her chest. "You were guessing. Corypheus may not be after this eluvian. It may not even be here!"
"Yes, I was wrong," Morrigan snapped. "Does that please you? Whatever the Well of Sorrows might be, what matters is that Corypheus seeks it, and you must keep it from his grasp."
"Fine. Let's find this well before Corypheus's people do. But before we do that, I want to know how Corypheus returned to life. We saw him die."
Morrigan nodded. "It appears his life force passes on to any blighted creature, darkspawn or Grey Warden."
Rainier caught his breath. The final indignity. Grey Wardens weren't allowed to rest even in death.
"So that's how the bastard survived Hawke!" Varric said.
"'Tis strange. Archdemons possess the same ability, and yet Grey Wardens are able to slay them. Yet Corypheus they locked away. Perhaps they knew he could do this … but not how."
"Are you certain Corypheus is using the power of the blight to make himself immortal?" Bridget asked her.
"Perhaps you forget—I was in Ferelden during the Fifth Blight. I have seen a true Archdemon rage. How Corypheus gained the power to send his soul into blighted bodies is the real question, but it does not alter what we must do here today."
"If we can't kill him, how can we hope to stop him? Answering that question should help us destroy him for good, shouldn't it?"
"Possibly," Morrigan conceded. "But if Corypheus obtains the Well today, any chance of success could be lost for good."
"The elves here—they seem … odd. Do you think they could help us?"
"I would not count on it. As I see it, two things are possible. Either this is a group of Dalish separated from their brethren, fanatic in their desire to keep humans away, or these are elves descended from the ancients, having resided here since before the fall of Arlathan. In either case, they are unlikely to see much difference between the forces of Corypheus and ourselves."
"If the second possibility is true, the implications are astounding!" Dorian breathed. "It could change everything we think we know about history."
"'Tis thrilling, no? To discover an era we thought lost forever has possibly thrived in the shadows."
"Fascinating as this is, it's not getting us any closer to this Well, whatever it is," Varric pointed out.
"No, it isn't." Bridget sighed. "Let's go see what lies ahead."
Rainier walked at her side farther into the temple, reaching out a hand for hers. It wouldn't be over today, not if Corypheus could rise and rise and rise again, but at least that also meant maybe he could keep her safe for one more day. And maybe then another after that.