Chapter 61

"Ah, I think we might have a problem here." Aedan turned around at Zevran's statement, and his eyes landed on Emma. "Shit!" Quickly, he moved over to her side. "Look at me, Angel." Her eyes flickered, but didn't move from the ceiling. Oghren stared at her, looking puzzled. "What's wrong with her?" Leaning against the wall and looking bored, Morrigan answered, "She doesn't like spiders."
"Hah! Well, she's in the wrong sodding place then," he replied with a derisive snort. Morrigan raised one cool eyebrow. "I think she's fully aware of that, dwarf."
"I was bloody right when I said that the standards of the Grey Wardens had fallen," Oghren muttered.

Aedan turned, anger glinting in his dark blue eyes and defensive words forming on his tongue. However, Morrigan beat him to it, pushing Oghren against the wall with a surprising amount of force. "You doubt her courage?! She knew what she would encounter in the Deep Roads, and yet she did not flinch from her duty, nor did she complain."
"All right, woman! No need to get your sodding knickers in a twist," he grumbled as he pushed himself away from the wall.

"I have an idea," Wynne stated with a smile. She waved her staff and thick ice covered the ceiling. "There! Now nothing can come down when you walk past." Emma's eyes widened as she looked upon the smooth glacial roof; there were no cracks or crevices for spiders to drop down through. She dropped her gaze to Wynne and smiled. "Thank you. That's perfect." A heated flush spread across her skin as she glanced at everyone. "I'm sorry, I thought I'd be okay."
"You're doing just fine, Angel. We all have things that we fear." Aedan shot a glare at Oghren, who shrugged, burped and started walking down the tunnel. Emma stiffened her spine and quickly ran forward under the layer of ice, biting back the frightened squeal that threatened to spill from her lips. After that incident, she kept her eyes down on Aedan's feet, matching him step for step, looking up only when she needed to fight.

They neared the end of Ortan Thaig and that's when the real battle began. Spiders crawled out from every hole as the Corrupted Spider Queen dropped down from the ceiling. Emma gripped her staff tightly and did her best to block the scenario from her mind. If she took one moment to stop and contemplate the number of spiders near her, she wouldn't be able to function, and that was not an option, not with the lives of Aedan and her friends at stake.

Morrigan concentrated on the Queen, dropping Horror and Shockwave on it, allowing the rogues and warriors to move in and attack. Wynne and Emma kept their focus on the rest of the spiders, casting area-of-effect spells that burnt or froze the arachnids as they scuttled about. Emma always hated this fight, partly because of the overwhelming presence of spiders, but also because the damn Queen kept running away, which just prolonged the combat when all Emma wanted to do was finish it as quickly as possible.

After what seemed like an interminable length of time, the Queen curled up and died, and Emma blew out a long-suffering sigh. There was a shout of joy from Oghren and everyone turned to him. In one hand he held a large journal and a smile beamed across his face. "This is Branka's writing, and she mentions me. I knew she wouldn't forget ol' Oghren." He mumbled the odd word as he continued reading through her diary; eventually looking up with a grim expression. "It says here that she's gone into the Dead Trenches. If that's where Branka is, then that's where I'm going too!"

They entered yet another dark, foreboding passage, and Emma drew in a grateful breath that Ortan Thaig was finally behind them. As they neared the end of the tunnel, Aedan and his team slowed their steps as a tumultuous sound of thousands of armoured feet tramping through the Deep Roads reached their ears. "Maker's breath! What is that?" Leliana asked. Alistair, Emma and Aedan shared a look before Alistair answered. "That's the sound of the darkspawn army marching to the surface."

The deafening noise halted and they cautiously moved forward, finally coming out on a wide ledge that overlooked a massive crevice. Everyone dropped to their stomachs and crawled forward, intent on taking a look at what they'd be facing in battle. Emma had been expecting the Archdemon to fly out of the fissure, but even so, she nearly soiled herself when it emerged with the beating of massive wings and a thunderous roar. She glanced over to her companions and noted that they had all paled at the sight of the monstrous beast.

It swooped low and everyone instinctively ducked their heads. Finally, it settled on a thick stone beam that stretched across the chasm, and opening its gigantic maw wide, it exhaled plumes of purple flames. From her vantage point, Emma could see the eyes of the darkspawn light up with something close to exhilaration, as though they'd just heard the most beautiful song ever. As one, the vast and grotesque horde began to march once more, their cumulative weight shaking the very rocks that Aedan and his team lay upon.

After the Archdemon took to the air and followed the darkspawn army, everyone climbed to their feet, looking somewhat stunned at what they had witnessed. "Andraste's knickers! Are we going to have to fight that thing?" Alistair questioned, a tinge of panic in his voice.
Emma nodded. "I'm afraid so, but we're going to win." She injected as much confidence as she could muster into her words.
He grinned with fierce determination. "Well, that's good to know."

They moved forward and met a contingent of the Legion of the Dead who were under siege from a large darkspawn force. Aedan and his companions moved in quickly, evening out the numbers slightly. They cleared the first wave, but before a conversation could be struck up with Kardol, the leader of the dwarven force, another darkspawn horde was already moving across the bridge. Slowly but surely, they cut through the creatures until they stood on the other side.

There was a chorus of groans from the companions at the sight of an ogre and numerous genlock archers, who were lined up on either side of a great door that dominated the area. Aedan's ranged fighters split up and focused on the two separate groups of archers, while the close quarter combatants took on the ogre. When the giant horned beast fell to the ground with a crash, they turned their attention to the remaining darkspawn, and soon the battle was over.

As everyone caught their breath, the Legion of the Dead moved across the bridge and took up a defensive stance. Aedan exchanged a few words with Kardol, who seemed sceptical of their chances of finding the Anvil of the Void; his parting words were a little disturbing too. "Take care, Warden. A drunk is a poor companion to have at your side in a fight." There was nothing to say in regards to the warning, so Aedan just nodded and returned to his group. They made their way through more tunnels and eventually reached a large spacious area.
"Bownammar," Oghren whispered in a reverent tone. There was no time to ask for an explanation as they immediately came under attack from more darkspawn and a bronto. "I'll be happy if I never see another damn tunnel. It's safe to say that I'm sick and tired of this place," Zevran grouched. There were more than a few nods of agreement as they walked over to a small room and looked around.

They took whatever loot could be found in the various sarcophagi that were stacked on thick stone shelves before moving across the wide open area to the next passage that beckoned them forward. They passed a massive door and Emma stopped and stared, feeling tiny in comparison. The amount of work and effort that must have gone into making such an entrance was mind-boggling; the Dwarves' skill could not be denied when looking upon such a marvel. They journeyed deeper into the Dead Trenches, finding more sarcophagi as they progressed, and of course, they fought more darkspawn. Emma would have fought ten times as many as long as there were no more spiders.

Then it started; that awful disembodied, monotone voice.
"First day, they come and catch everyone."
They were drawing close to the Broodmother; upon reflection, perhaps Ortan Thaig hadn't been so bad.