Chapter 37
They made their way through the caves, Emma letting out the occasional muttered curse word when she kept tripping over the uneven stones. However, on the bright side, at least there weren't any spiders. She shuddered at the thought of going into the Deep Roads, especially Ortan Thaig; you couldn't take a step in that damn place without tripping over a spider.
Reaching a large cavern, they found themselves in a difficult battle. Rogues were popping up from all corners, mages freezing people left, right, and centre, and then, of course, the dragonlings decided to join in, because why the hell not? By the end of the combat, they were all a bit bruised and battered, and after Wynne had rested, she went around healing some of the more painful injuries. At the next fight, Emma wished the dragonlings would return; it had to be better than fighting the drakes that were currently trying to eat her.
Eventually, they reached the final cave, where Kolgrim waited, arms folded, madness glinting in his eyes. Aedan picked up on this fairly quickly and so the fight began. Emma instructed Wynne to go after one of the mages with Leliana, while she'd tackle the other one with Zev's help. They left Alistair and Aedan fighting Kolgrim and turned their attention to their respective targets.
Emma remembered the cultist mages had some powerful area-of-effect spells and always ensured they were taken down as soon as possible. However, the reality was somewhat different; they were exhausted from the previous fights, whereas the enemies were fresh and ready for combat. She swallowed down a lyrium potion, embraced the burst of power and flung out spell after spell. She could see Zevran darting around the mage, blades flashing as he stabbed and sliced.
The whoosh of spells, the scraping of metal and the shouts of each combatant merged to make a cacophony within the confines of the cave. From her peripheral vision, Emma saw Wynne's mage crumple to the ground. Without the need for words, Leliana turned her attention to the remaining mage, while Wynne helped to take down Kolgrim. Even though Emma's muscles screamed in protest and her head ached with the amount of mana she'd used, she still felt a warm glow from seeing how well they worked together as a team.
She suddenly remembered Mana Clash and chugged back another lyrium potion. A burst of white light accompanied the spell, followed by a screech of pain. The mage hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. Damn it, she really needed to remember that spell. Emma turned her attention to Kolgrim, but he was already on his last legs. As a thick layer of ice coated the body of the cultist leader, Alistair charged forward, putting his whole strength behind the shield and suddenly large chunks of frozen flesh rained down. Aedan collected the loot, and Emma noted Kolgrim's horn with some misgiving. Ah crap, she truly hated the fight with the high dragon, even though it gave some great loot; at least, it did in the game, she couldn't be sure that would happen here.
Emma approached the hole leading out to the mountaintop and was shocked to see the fading light of dusk. She returned to the cave and sat next to Aedan, trying to get comfortable on the lump of rock she'd chosen. "I think you should know that the horn you picked up from Kolgrim summons a high dragon when used."
His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Shit!" He looked around at the other companions, all looking tired and definitely not up to a dragon fight. "So we came all this way for nothing?" he whispered angrily.
Emma quickly put his mind at ease. "It will only attack us if we use the horn."
He breathed a sigh of relief and went to stand, but Emma pulled him back down. "Take a few more minutes, Aedan. I think everyone could do with a break, yourself included." When he looked unsure, she stood up, moved between his legs and placed her fingers at the nape of his neck, then started massaging with small up and down motions, her fingertips teasing his black hair. Aedan's head dropped forward, resting against her stomach, his hands on her hips as he let out a moan of pleasure and she felt some of the tension leave his body. When she'd finished, he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her gently. "Thanks, Angel. I needed that."
She stole another kiss before answering, "You're welcome, love."
As soon as they had all scrambled through the hole, the dragon made its appearance, flying low, massive wings pushing through the air, roaring loud enough to rattle their bones. Aedan glanced over to Emma as they all ducked for cover. "Are you sure it's not going to attack?"
Emma watched the large beast circle again and swallowed nervously. "I'm fairly sure." As she spoke, the dragon landed on a high ledge and settled down. She gave a somewhat apologetic smile to Aedan for not warning him about the dragon's impromptu flyby.
They all slowly straightened up as if worried that any sudden movement would start the beast moving again. No one took their eyes off it until they'd reached the door to the Gauntlet. Their actions reminded Emma of every time she saw a daddy long legs fluttering around her room; she could barely breathe until she had a can of insect killer or a fly swat in her hand. She cringed at the thought of the spindly insects; they always seemed to dive towards her, which usually resulted in a lot of ducking, swearing, and the occasional scream.
She became aware that everyone had gone silent. She followed their gaze and saw the Guardian staring directly at her. It suddenly occurred to her that she had no idea what it would say. Hopefully, he wouldn't start spouting about where she came from because that could lead to some very awkward questions.
They approached the Guardian and all too soon, he was ready to play question and answer time. She always felt sorry for everyone at this point in the game, because the questions were intrusive and upsetting for most of the companions. The spirit turned his gaze to Aedan, and Emma felt her heart swell with pity as he asked his question in a deep voice. "You abandoned your father and mother, leaving them in the hands of Rendon Howe, knowing he would show no mercy." The blood drained from Aedan's face and he flinched as if each word stabbed at him.
Emma took hold of his hand, feeling ice-cold skin under her fingers and wished she could take the hurt away, but the Guardian hadn't finished. "Tell me, do you feel you failed your parents?"
Aedan's fingers tightened around hers and squeezed as he fought to control his emotions; she returned the pressure, letting him know he wasn't alone. His throat worked convulsively a couple of times before he managed to respond. "Of course I do!" he answered roughly, "but I had no choice, someone had to get the news to Fergus."
"So you do not dwell on past mistakes, neither yours – nor someone else's."
Aedan clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ached. "What's that supposed to mean? I didn't make a mistake!"
Emma pulled him back, unsure what would happen if he fought the Guardian. "Easy, love. I know you didn't want to leave them." She managed to get him away from the group, who were now answering the Guardian's questions. Emma cupped his face to get him to focus on her. She wanted to cry at the raw sorrow she saw in his eyes. "What you did took a lot of courage. You made the right choice, Aedan, don't ever doubt that." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close as he pressed his face into the curve of her neck, breathing deeply. With each breath, she felt the tension ease from his body.
"Emma, mage and Grey Warden." She turned quickly as the Guardian addressed her, and saw his eyes widen a little; he held her gaze for a few tense moments. "You are an odd one."
Emma sighed. "Yes, I've been told that a time or two." Curiosity buzzed through her as she waited to see what he would say.
