25
It was strange to be so free with her magic once more, but Talia wasn't complaining. She spent her time in the days leading up to their exit back to Orzammar with Duran, Brosca and the three other exiles, getting them used to the invisibility spell.
They had floundered about the first time she had cast it. Within a few seconds, she had heard a crashing sound and numerous curses echoing in the room. It was only amusing for a few moments until Brosca accidentally punched her in the stomach while she flailed around wildly.
Invisibility was a tricky thing. Normally, Talia would be able to see anyone she cast the spell on, giving her more control of the situation.
The issue was that she needed to cast and maintain the spell upon each dwarf individually. An area-wide spell could have problems if say, a guard were to accidentally stumble upon the edge of the circle. With no physical barriers, anyone could pass in and out of the area, compromising them. Individual spells ensured that each dwarf could have a degree of freedom in moving around and positioning themselves, allowing for flexibility where needed.
Despite her best efforts, Talia found it impossible to maintain five invisibility spells simultaneously without depleting her magicka too quickly. It was doubly frustrating, as there were no other mages or really anyone with any basic idea of magic around her that she could commiserate with.
Savith had given her an apologetic look and a shrug. "I stopped using magic when I learned my Shouts, and even then, I really only knew one or two spells." Blackwall and Nathaniel were equally useless, the former being nervous around magic, and the latter knowing absolutely nothing about it.
Talia had never missed Felix more than at that moment.
Over the next few days, she experimented and adjusted the parameters of the spell until she could find a good combination. It gave her more breathing room as it used far less magicka, but it also stopped giving her constant visibility of her targets. It was chaotic, but it was the only option Talia could see, even if Duran heavily disagreed.
"How are we supposed to coordinate if we can't see each other?" he said. Duran, Brosca, and the two dunmer were poring over maps, figuring out their path from the Deep Road gates to Dust Town.
"If I can't hold the spell, you'll all get murdered as soon as we enter Orzammar," Talia replied testily. "This would be far easier if I only had to bring you and Brosca."
Duran shook his head. "The other three are essential, we don't have enough people in Orzammar and there are too many moving parts to this plan."
Savith looked at her thoughtfully. "How easily can you switch between spells?"
"Seamlessly."
"What are you thinking, Savith?" Brosca frowned at her.
"Cast and hold the regular spell for a while until we're able to cross the gates. While still visible to each other, the five dwarves would reposition themselves as quickly as possible," she tapped on five points on the map. "And once they're there, switch to the adjusted spell. It shouldn't be a hindrance then."
"That's…not a bad idea." Talia mulled it over. "But are they able to move quickly and quietly enough that they can get where they need to be in time?"
They all looked at Brosca in askance and she pursed her lips. "They can probablydo it."
"'Probably' isn't good enough," Duran argued.
"It's the best we got, Duran. And don't even get me started on you. You're the biggest trouble here."
"I can get there just fine!"
"Stomping around like a bronto in heat ain't gonna 'get you there fine'."
Talia coughed in amusement and Savith didn't bother to hide her laugh.
Duran gave them a dirty look. "I've been practicing with the others. I can sneak passably."
"If my Paragon says so." Brosca gave a mock bow.
"From there," Talia interrupted before they could start another argument. "How do we get to Dust Town?"
"Every dwarf for themselves at that point. Can't see each other so we just gotta meet up there." Brosca shrugged. "I'll stick by you and bring you there, you might have some trouble getting there alone."
"The Wardens will head to the Commons," Savith said. "Bhelen will keep a close eye on us, and it's best if we weren't found anywhere near any of you."
Duran grunted in assent. "We'll regroup in Dust Town, then agree on what to do for the Shaperate there."
With the plan finalized, they continued their sessions with the other dwarves, doing their best to get the timing right. The inconsistency in their preparations was worrying—as they only managed to do them successfully around half the time. While most were adept at sneaking, the speed at which they had to move was tricky. At times they would either take too long to move silently, or their footfalls could be heard as they repositioned themselves.
Overall, it was with a stirring of unease in her gut that Talia exited the Aeducan Thaig and began the journey back with her dwarven companions. Savith and the other Wardens walked ahead of them, ready to alert them in case anyone from Orzammar appeared on the path.
After a day or so, they reached the final crossroads before the Orzammar gates, and Talia took a deep breath to center herself for her task to come. When all was ready, she clasped her hands together as if in prayer and drew heavily from her well of magicka. Slowly, she enveloped them in an invisibility spell one by one.
Talia could feel the strain on her mind. Even with her mastery, the distinct pull of five different spells was taxing. They were akin to threads pulled taut, and a lapse in her concentration could result in them snapping off at any moment.
She opened her eyes with effort and gestured for everyone to start making their way to the entrance. Before moving, she dipped her hand into her pocket and slipped on the Ring of Khajiiti.
Savith took the lead, with Nathaniel and Blackwall flanking her. Just behind the wardens was Duran. He was found to be the least skilled in sneaking, and they figured the warden's armor could mask the sound of his steps. Talia and the rest of the other dwarves followed close behind in a single row, with Brosca standing right beside her.
The guards securing the entrance inside the Deep Roads immediately recognized Savith, and they greeted her as they made their approach.
"Warden-Commander."
"Greetings. My Wardens and I require passage into Orzammar."
"What's your business here?"
"Warden business." Savith's voice was authoritative and brooked no argument.
"I—umm—King Bhelen has instructed that no one be allowed in."
"Is that so?" Her tone turned dangerous, and Talia could see the guardsmen shift in nervousness. "Well, I believe that my status as not just the Warden Commander, but also Paragon Caradin's Catalyst, affords me some level of respect?"
Talia had no clue what being a Paragon's "Catalyst" entailed, but the two immediately started groveling.
"Of course, Warden Commander! O-our apologies!" The guards pushed the doors open for them, and hastily stepped aside.
"Much appreciated." Savith nodded at them in thanks.
As soon as they passed through the threshold, Talia breathed a sigh of relief, only to suck it back in when she heard a familiar, oily voice.
"Guards! I thought I told you—ah…Savith Stormcrown."
All of them stopped in their tracks just as they exited the gates. The path opened to a large, circular plaza that eventually branched off into different areas of the Commons.
Inconveniently blocking their way was Bhelen and his personal guards. It seemed like they were on a routine inspection, as they were crowding around near the Deep Roads entrance just as they exited.
Such was their luck.
"King Bhelen." Savith inclined her head in greeting, while Nathaniel and Blackwall both saluted. "It is good to see you whole and hale."
The dwarves were frozen where they stood, likely horrified at coming face to face with Bhelen so soon. There was barely any space to maneuver around, but Talia could feel her magicka start to wane. She tapped Duran on the shoulder and gestured for them to get going.
"And I am glad to see you as well, Savith. For a while there, I had thought Warden Howe here would never come back."
As they spoke, the exiles started to weave around Bhelen and the guards as quickly as they could, with Talia slowly repositioning herself as well. There was a small blip in her magicka, like a stutter, and she realized she could no longer hold onto the spells as they were.
The dwarves were not yet in their agreed places, but Talia was forced to transition to the revised spell to maintain her magicka reserves. After a breath, each of the dwarves winked out of her sight, and the strain on her mind lessened considerably. She felt a hand on her elbow and deduced that it was Brosca grabbing hold of her so they wouldn't lose each other in the confusion.
"You must have more faith in my men's abilities," Savith said lightly. "Speaking of, I believe one of them, Warden Threnhold, is staying with you?"
Bhelen's response was drowned out by a sudden, loud crashing noise that made everyone jump. With a shout, the king brandished his greathammer, eyeing his surroundings suspiciously. His retinue of guards immediately formed a circle around him.
Talia turned to look at the source of the sound. A previously orderly row of halberds at a market stall was now in disarray, as if someone had fallen onto it. With great effort, she lifted a hand and allowed a small pulse of magic to flow from her, granting her a glimpse of who it was.
The veil lifted briefly, and she found Duran sprawled across the market floor, trying to keep still. His expression turned into that of panic as the ring of guards parted, and Bhelen slowly approached his position.
Behind the guards, who were all focused on their king, Savith gesticulated wildly at an unseen figure. After a moment, Talia's magic snapped, and one of the dwarves suddenly melted back into view; he had moved too far away from her.
He closed his eyes briefly, as if steeling himself. Then to her surprise, he ducked out of his cover and charged at Bhelen, his steps echoing loudly.
The commotion startled the guards into movement, and Bhelen jerked away from where Duran was to face the attacker. The exile barely put up a fight and was immediately impaled by a pikeman. A gurgling sound escaped him as he slid to the ground, hands clutching at the spear.
Bhelen examined his attacker for a moment before he scowled and pushed the pike deeper into him. The dwarf's scream of pain was cut short as he brought his greathammer down upon his head with a meaty thud.
Without another word, the king turned around, quickly stalked back to where Duran was, and started swinging wildly.
Everyone froze at the sudden action. Talia could feel Brosca's grip on her tighten painfully as she tensed. She only relaxed when Bhelen's hammer collided with nothing but the wooden planks and strewn weapons. It seemed at least, that Duran had his wits enough about him to use the diversion and move away when he could.
Bhelen was breathing heavily, looking rather crazed as he whipped his head around, searching for something. After a few moments, he exhaled harshly and closed his eyes, eventually affecting an unbothered disposition. He turned back to the wardens, who were all staring at him in varying degrees of shock. Nathaniel was scowling as usual, though his eyes had widened at the display. He had a hand on Blackwall's wrist, preventing the startled man from drawing his sword. Savith's eyebrows were raised in a clear question of Bhelen's sanity.
"How interesting that an attempt on my life should be made moments after you enter my kingdom," Bhelen said with feigned nonchalance.
Savith gave him a sharp look. "I do not enjoy your implications, King Bhelen."
"You don't seem at all concerned for my safety, Warden Commander."
"Your retinue of guards is more than enough to guarantee your safety. Had we intervened, we might have hindered more than helped."
Talia twitched as her spell snapped three times in quick succession; it seemed Duran and the two other dwarves had already moved past her range and escaped. At least they had managed to make it out, though the situation remained dire.
Bhelen eyed Savith warily, and the guards began to move closer. Nathaniel and Blackwall both stiffened, hands coming up to their weapons at the aggression. To Talia's surprise, instead of responding with authority, Savith sighed and gave Bhelen an imploring look.
"Bhelen, please be reasonable," she said entreatingly, as if speaking with a close friend. "I have been in the Deep Roads for months. How do you presume I would have coordinated this attack?"
When he said nothing, she continued. "I gave you the crown, and we've formed a good working relationship over the years. What reason have I to taint that bond with betrayal?"
It was only because of her mastery of Illusion that Talia felt the coercion of Savith's Thu'um. Her act was entirely believable, but the power of her Voice pushed into the small cracks of doubt and smoothened them out considerably. Her own mind batted away at the coercion, but she could see Bhelen's shoulders falling and his stance relaxing.
With another sigh, Bhelen sheathed his weapon, and his guards followed suit. "It's this damnable traitor in our midst. Until he's dead, I must remain vigilant. Though it is good of you to remind me that I should not be making enemies of my own allies."
Savith made a sympathetic noise. "I imagine it has been a trying number of days for you."
"Months." Bhelen shook his head. He gestured to his personal guards, and they fell back in formation around him. "I shall speak with you tomorrow, Savith. Wollum will pick you up at the inn."
Finally, the king and his guards started walking away, letting Talia exhale in relief. Brosca's hand released its vice grip on her arm as Bhelen left the vicinity.
"Savith—" Nathaniel started, but the dunmer raised a hand and he fell silent. Without another word, she turned and stalked away. The other two wardens shared a look before following after her.
Once they had gone, Talia shifted the invisibility spell to cover both herself and Brosca. With the adjustment, her companion melted back into her view. She took off the Ring of Khajiiti and the dwarf jumped as she reappeared.
Brosca looked incredibly frazzled, but she wordlessly pointed out one of the roads, and led the way out. After a few moments of silence, it seemed she could no longer contain her anger and started whispering furiously.
"That idiot almost got us all fucking killed! The fuck was all that practice for, then? Ancestors!"
Talia silently agreed but decided not to add kindling to the flames.
"How the fuck did he even get tangled in that market stall? He wasn't supposed to be in that spot! What, did he grow fucking blind after the spell shift? Ugh!"
It was a miracle nobody spotted them after all the stomping around Brosca did, but it seemed to be the night cycle, and the roads were fairly deserted as they passed, save for a few guards. Just before they took a sharp turn down a distinctly less kempt alley, Brosca held a hand out to stop Talia in her tracks. She was about to ask what was wrong when soft whispers reached her ears.
A little past them, there was a dwarf standing in the darkness, speaking in hushed tones. They could have snuck past him easily with the invisibility still active, so Talia wasn't sure why Brosca paused in her steps. Her eyes were narrowed, seemingly assessing him, and after a while she gestured for both of them to move closer and listen in.
The dwarf looked incredibly tense; he had one hand constantly hovering on the pommel of his weapon, while the other was clutching a crystal close to his lips. Talia's eyes flicked to the thick fabric of his tunics and the clean stitching across the hems. It was clear this man did not belong anywhere near the poor district.
"…you certain you will be there on time? If I'm caught, Czibor will—"
"Czibor should no longer be a problem after, if you keep your word. You will be rewarded generously for your efforts."
Talia frowned. There were two distinct voices, but there was only one dwarf in front of them. And he was clearly not the only one speaking.
There was a raspy sigh, and the rock in the dwarf's hand glowed briefly. "All—all right, just be there tomorrow night. I will ensure the gates are open."
With a jolt, Talia realized the other voice was coming from the crystal. Distance-communication, something she was surprised to see in Thedas.
The conversation seemed to end there, and the dwarf went off in a direction that was decidedly not deeper into Dust Town. As soon as his visage disappeared, Brosca turned to Talia, her face twisted in confusion.
"Are you all right?" Talia asked.
"I…wasn't imagining that, right? He was talking to someone."
Ahhh. Talia had forgotten how little anyone knew or understood anything about magic in Thedas. "I think the rock is enchanted to allow him to communicate with someone at a distance. Though based on their conversation, it sounds like he's also in Orzammar. He mentioned him 'being there' tomorrow night…"
Talia trailed off as Brosca's face progressively turned paler. "Brosca?" she asked warily.
"He mentioned Czibor." When Talia did nothing more than squint in confusion, Brosca emphasized, "Lord Shaper Czibor."
As the implications of that statement hit her, Talia cursed out loud.
"Fucking Bhelen," Brosca echoed, running a hand through her hair.
"Let's head to the meet up point, Duran will want to know—"
"We got to go to the Shaperate, now."
Talia turned to Brosca incredulously. "We're both exhausted—I won't be able to hold this invisibility spell up much longer, much less an entire trip throughout the Shaperate. Besides, everyone is expecting us, we need to debrief and come up with a plan."
"We don't have a choice!" Brosca hissed. "Bhelen's planning to get into the Shaperate tomorrow night so it can't be tomorrow. That means we need to do it today, and we only have a few hours until morning bell. We don't have time to go back to Duran and the team and talk. We need to move."
Talia could see her point, but she was close to depleting her magicka fully. They didn't have a proper infiltration plan for the Shaperate yet in place, but she knew they needed her for another bout of invisibility. And it was extremely risky for her to just go with Brosca, especially in her state—it increased the chances of her making a mistake and revealing herself to someone in the city.
"We need to at least speak with Duran—" she tried one more time, but Brosca cut her off.
"I'm going to the Shaperate, and since I know you don't know the way to base, you have to come with me."
A surge of anger rose within Talia, not just because of this foolishness, but because she realized Brosca was right. Though she had looked at and studied the map, Talia found Orzammar confusing to navigate, and she was not confident in her ability to get to the meet up point. She was also out of options due to her lack of magic—she did not have enough magicka to reliably cast a coercion spell on Brosca, and she doubted any other minor spells in her repertoire would help.
It was a tempting idea to simply abandon her and head to where the Wardens were, but Talia actually wanted Duran to succeed; the alliance depended on it.
With no other choice, Talia sighed and grudgingly agreed. "Fine."
There was a small hint of relief on Brosca's face, though she tried to hide it behind her bravado. Thankfully, she was gracious in her victory and didn't decide to test Talia's patience by rubbing it in her face.
She still seethed silently the entire way, though.
The Shaperate turned out to be a massive archive in the Diamond Quarters, easily distinguishable from all the other grand structures due to the impressively large dwarven figure carved atop its entrance. It was quite near the Royal Palace, though surprisingly left unguarded. It seemed that dwarves had full confidence in the structure and integrity of their machinery.
And why wouldn't they? If she didn't have the Skeleton Key, she would have no idea how to open the gate either, despite her proficiency in lockpicking. The double doors were sealed with incredibly thick stone, Talia pressed one of her ears against it and rapped on it lightly to test. There was no reverberation to be heard, even when she gradually knocked on it more loudly.
"Well, can you open it or not?" Brosca's brusque voice came from behind her.
Talia was exhausted and if the dwarf did not back off, she wouldn't be responsible for what she did next. "Step back."
It was always with an equal feeling of dread and thrill that Talia wielded the Skeleton Key. As was customary, she sent a small prayer of thanks and guidance to Nocturnal, and drew the artifact from her pocket. She could feel the daedric magic emanating from it as she glided it up through the crevice of the stone doors. There were sounds of gears and cranks shifting, and after a moment, the doors slowly opened.
Loudly.
The ground shook as the doors moved, the great slabs of stone grinding against it. Talia spread out her arms for balance. Once the door opened slightly, she readied herself to squeeze through and checked on Brosca to see if she was following. The dwarf was staring wide-eyed at the door, frozen in shock like an imbecile—it seemed she hadn't believed Talia could truly open it until she personally witnessed it.
All the noise was summoning guards from the Royal Palace. From across the plaza, Talia could hear the clanking of armor and shouts of alarm. There was also commotion from the other side, likely the Shapers worrying about the mechanism.
Talia's magicka pool was close to empty, and the invisibility threatened to drop at any moment. So she grabbed ahold of the gaping fool and pulled her into the building, shouldering through the dwarves gathering by the door as quickly as she could. At the exact moment her magic snapped, she managed to push both of them into a shadowy alcove.
The invisibility spell dropped off them both, and Talia fumbled for the Ring of Khajiiti. It would be utterly disastrous if anyone caught sight of her in the Shaperate. At worst, it would cast suspicion on her and the Inquisition, at best, Savith would take the blame, which was also not ideal.
Once she managed to get the ring on, and the chameleon charm activated, she rounded on Brosca.
"If you're trying to get yourself killed, do me a favor and don't drag me into your nonsense," she hissed viciously.
The dwarf bristled but immediately deflated. "Yeah, sorry I wasn't thinking."
Talia nodded stiffly, still miffed. "Where is this 'memory slab'? This place will be swarming with guards and Shapers soon."
"I have a general idea, based on Duran's speculations. But they may be keeping it out of sight."
"Speculations?" Talia asked scathingly. Their chances of success were slowly dwindling.
"Come on," Brosca said in lieu of answering her question.
Sneaking around in shadows felt far too slow. In her impatience, Talia ended up knocking out an unsuspecting Shaper and giving Brosca their robes, just so she could walk around a bit more unhindered.
They made their way to the Royal section, and started scouring the walls, shelves and tables around for any mention of Duran's Paragon nomination. Any other time, Talia would admire her surroundings: the glowing text on the walls detailing the family trees of the nobility and the Paragons they had stemmed from, the numerous different artifacts carefully displayed behind glass boxes, and the rows of books arranged in neat, carefully labelled shelves. The amount of knowledge stored in the Shaperate was immense, and it was a shame she wouldn't have much chance to study it.
The wall Talia was inspecting told the tale of Bhelen's ascension to the throne. It gave her more context to the claim Savith made earlier about being Paragon Caridin's "Catalyst". When she had returned from the Deep Roads, she had presented a crown forged by the Paragon. In the text, it described how she had made it clear that Caridin had left the decision up to her, and thus by dwarven law, she had become his "Catalyst", or the person that enacted the final will of a Paragon.
No wonder Duran had acted so frostily towards Savith. When Talia had first heard about her putting Bhelen on the throne, she assumed her kin merely supported the dwarf and worked in the background to get him there. But if it had been all up to her, what could have compelled her to choose Bhelen? How horrible had this "Harrowmont" been in comparison? There was barely any explanation except to say he was a traitor.
Large sections in House Aeducan's wall had been redacted or clearly overwritten, and Talia remembered that once a dwarf was exiled or had done something worthy of it, they could be struck from the record. The glowing text mentioned Trian Aeducan, his elder brother, but Duran's name was nowhere to be found.
"Talia?" She heard Brosca whisper, seeking her out.
"I'm still here," she replied quietly. Brosca couldn't see her, so she tapped her foot on the ground twice to indicate where she was.
"The slab isn't here, I checked everything I could." The dwarf was facing in her general direction, so Talia could see her expression twist into frustration. "Don't know where else it could be."
Talia decided not to voice her displeasure and instead focused on the problem at hand. "Duran's been struck from the records in this area, I assume due to his exile."
"Yeah, should have realized they wouldn't put it here. He's not officially part of House Aeducan anymore."
"His Paragon-elect status is due to clearing and recovering the Aeducan Thaig, so that it can be annexed back to Orzammar, right?" At Brosca's nod, she continued. "Could it be in the artifacts section? Perhaps the lost Thaigs or something about Paragon Aeducan?"
Brosca lit up at the suggestion. "Paragon Aeducan has a separate section from his House. It's where they put all artifacts related to him. It shouldn't be far from House Aeducan's wall."
Each Paragon apparently had an individual room dedicated to them and their deeds. They found Aeducan's close by, just as Brosca predicted. The chamber was vast; every inch of the towering walls was covered in lyrium writings, detailing his heroic deeds during the First Blight. There were rows upon rows of shelves crammed full of various books and stone tablets etched with further stories. There were numerous artifacts displayed belonging to him, including the shield that had been previously mentioned by Duran.
Talia was casting her eyes around when she spotted it. On one of the tables at the far end, propped upon a pedestal, there lay an unassuming block of carved stone. She squinted down at it, unable to make out the runes.
"Brosca?"
"Yeah?" The dwarf looked up from where she was inspecting a pile of stone on the other side of the room. "Make some noise, will you? I can't see you."
With Talia's tapping as a guide, Brosca managed to make her way over to her. She did a double take at the tablet. Almost reverently, she plucked it from its stand and held it closer to her eyes.
"Well?" Talia asked when she said nothing.
She mumbled out a phrase in what Talia assumed was the dwarven language before she answered. "Yes, by the Stone, we actually found it! We just need to get it back to—"
Whatever she was saying was cut off as the door to Aeducan's Shaperate room swung open. A dwarf looked over at them—or rather at Brosca—startled. "What are you doing here? We've all been called to—," he stopped and then gave her a suspicious onceover. His eyes focused on Brosca's face, and he gasped.
"Casteless filth!" he shouted suddenly. Brosca's hand flew up to her cheek with a hissed curse.
Before Talia knew what was happening, Brosca had already thrown a book at the Shaper, knocking him to the ground. While he lay there dazed, she beat a hasty retreat, practically flying out the door and into the maze-like halls. Talia followed after her as quickly as she could. Behind them, she could hear the Shaper call out for help. Alarm bells started ringing, discordantly echoing throughout the archive.
Brosca was quick on her feet, managing to pass through the guards before they could even react. She dodged out of the way as one enterprising dwarf tried to tackle her, making him crash into the shelves behind her.
Talia nimbly avoided everyone, weaving through the Shapers that Brosca had either bowled over or pushed aside in her mad dash to the exit. There was a lot of shouting and she saw that ahead, Brosca had managed to leave through the gates. As she hastened towards her, she heard the telltale sound of grinding stone and creaking gears. Near the entrance, she spied a panicked Shaper holding down the mechanism to shut the gates close.
Throwing caution to the wind, Talia started running faster, her steps echoing loudly and carelessly across the floor. She managed to slide through the gap just before it closed, the double-doors barely missing her hair as they slid shut. Scarcely managing to catch her breath, she lay on the stone, briefly stunned at the wild turn of events.
Raised voices eventually shook her out of her reverie. She stood quickly, vaguely aware of her fatigue and lightheadedness. Just past the steps down the Shaperate, Brosca stood defiantly, the hand holding Duran's memory slab thrust behind her back. Dozens of guards stood before her, swords pointed in her direction.
"Unhand your weapon and come with us quietly!" one guard boomed, brandishing his halberd.
Brosca bared her teeth at them. "Or what? You'll tickle me with your unimpressive stick?"
"Or risk the pain of death!"
Casting any spells at this point could potentially give Talia a severe case of magicka exhaustion, but as one guard moved to grab Brosca's arm, she acted on instinct. There was barely enough energy in her, but she managed to cast an area-wide confusion spell. Talia didn't have it in her to cast it more precisely, and along with the guards, Brosca was also caught in its thrall.
The pain came immediately—it felt as if there were sharp pins being thrust into her skull. Pushing past the agony, Talia sprinted down the steps and snatched the memory slab from Brosca. The dwarf barely moved, only giving her hand a bemused look. If she had more time, more energy, she would have found it laughably easy to escape with the dwarf. But as she was now, injured, exhausted, and on the brink of passing out, she gave Brosca's dazed expression a grim frown, before abandoning her to the guards.
Her next moments were a haze of pain. Muscles in her body kept twitching, as if lightning were being coursed through them intermittently. Her head was pounding, keeping beat with her steps as she walked across Orzammar.
She wasn't exactly sure how, but she managed to get to the Wardens' room in the Inn. She caught herself listing from side to side, so she steadied herself up on the doorjamb, successfully convincing her numb hand to knock on the door. The last thing she saw was Nathaniel's sour expression turning into surprise as she fell forward, succumbing to the void.
A/N: To preempt everything, yes I'm still alive, no I did not go to jail (yes, some people have asked me that before lol) and sorry for the extremely late update.
Thank you to everyone who's still reading this lil story of mine, I know it's been almost 10 years since I started this back in 2015. I do still love these characters and this setting, but I just don't have the energy to write a lot. But I'm trying :) Esp with Veilguard coming out soon.
I have edited a few chapters, mostly just for consistency of writing style. The edits are not crucial to the story, and you don't have to reread.