Chapter 53

Emma felt the weight of her companions' gaze as they waited for her to say something... anything. Ignoring the growing pressure, she kept her gaze on the demon and pasted a thoughtful expression on her face, as though considering its request. Suddenly, she recalled which option she should take and prepared to play the part of an uncaring and callous individual. "Okay, I'll free you and you can have the girl." There were a few gasps from her companions and a growl from Sten. She prayed they wouldn't say anything to ruin the charade.
"Thank you, you are very gracious. The mage's wards hold me in this chamber, and only a mortal may approach them," the demon advised in a low, sensual voice. Emma walked over to the puzzle and started moving pieces, yelping when she failed to move out of range of the flame in time. The bowls at the end of the puzzle flared and Emma saw that the shield around the door had now fallen.

At the first taste of freedom, the demon let her true colours slip through, and a flash of fear shot through Amalia's eyes. Emma faced the demon, a mischievous smile on her lips. "I said I'd free you. I didn't say I'd let you live." The demon hissed and transformed into her usual form, scaring the hell out of Amalia, who decided now would be a good time to absent herself.

Emma reached back and grabbed her staff; simultaneously, she heard the sound of a bowstring being pulled taut, along with the scrape of blades being drawn from their scabbards. Rage demons pushed themselves out from the ground and surged forward as the Desire demon started flinging around spells. Force fields enclosed both Alistair and Sten as they charged forward, and Emma immediately followed up by casting Winters Grasp. Leliana kept her focus on the Desire demon, preventing it from joining the fray. With the Rage demons down, it only took a matter of seconds to bring the fight to an end.

They returned to Matthias to find Amalia safe and sound in her father's arms. "Thank you for saving my daughter. The correct phrase is Dulen harn, but I would strongly caution you against reactivating that thing."

-x-

Wynne looked up at the golem, then her gaze slid around to everyone else, finally settling on Emma. "Are you sure about this?"
Emma gazed up at Shale, remembering the hilarious conversations, and nodded. "I'm sure."
Wynne recited the words and everyone waited with bated breath. Then a low grating sound broke the silence as Shale's head slowly moved. A second later, she lowered her arms and straightened up. Two glowing eyes appraised the audience before her. "I knew that the day would come when someone would find the control rod. And of course, it is another mage. That is what it is, yes? Yes. Just my luck," she sighed.
Wynne met the golem's bright gaze. "How do you know I'm a mage?"
An indignant snort followed the question. "It thinks these crystals are simply for show, I see. It thinks I cannot sense the energies it commands."
Emma's eyes widened; she didn't know Shale could sense things like that. "Oh, and yet another mage! Wonderful. This day just keeps getting better."
With a laugh, Emma stepped forward. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shale."
Somehow the golem managed to lift an eyebrow, or at least the rocks shifted in an imitation of the expression. "How does it know my name?"
Alistair moved a little closer to Emma in a protective manner. "She has visions; they're the reason you're free."
Shale peered at Emma as though she were an unusual specimen in a jar. "It is very..."
"Odd, yes. I've been told that a time or two," Emma finished in a rather snappy tone.
Shale cocked her head. "I was going to say, it is very squishy looking."
Emma flushed and shook her head. "Sorry, Shale. I assumed you would describe me as most people do when first meeting me." After that slight deviation, the conversation ran its normal course and then, much to Emma's relief, they were back on the road to Orzammar.

-x-

Cold darkness surrounded her and only the sound of sliding stones broke the silence. Emma couldn't see well and kept close to the wall as she stumbled along, cursing when she caught her toe on a jagged, protruding rock. Where the hell was she? This area didn't appear familiar to her, although the dim light didn't help. The world shimmered for a second and she knew she'd entered the fade. She remembered that mages had more control in the fade and wondered if this sort of experience would be akin to lucid dreaming. Still, she'd have preferred a more cheerful setting. Surely, her mind could have conjured up a nice bed with a naked Aedan. She took a few more steps now more aware of how real everything felt - the dank smell, the cold, rough stone scraping her fingertips, the thick dust filling her lungs. Wait, where had that come from? Emma waved her hand around to clear some of the smothering clouds.
"Emma."
She recognised Aedan's voice, although it sounded weak and scratchy, certainly not the deep, velvety tone she knew and loved. Emma's heart raced as panic crawled in her veins and she ran towards the voice. The sight that met her eyes brought her to an immediate halt and she rocked back on her heels, a scream building deep within. Dropping to her knees, she reached out to touch a hand she knew almost as well as her own; the long fingers, the calloused pads. Except, those long fingers were now torn, bloodied and bruised, twitching beneath a pile of rocks.
"Emma."
The scream which had been building within her finally erupted from her very core, tearing at her throat with its intensity.

She jolted upright in bed, gasping, tears streaming down her face, her heart pounding madly. She knew she had to get back to Orzammar immediately. She scrambled into her clothes and started packing her tent, unaware of the early hour. Alistair crawled out from his tent and scowled at her. "What are you doing?"
She didn't lift her head as she rolled up her blankets. "I need to get back to Orzammar."
Alistair growled. "Maker's breath, can't you wait another day before you jump back in his bed?"
She flinched but continued packing. "It's fine, I can go alone, but I need to get back to him now!"
Shale walked over. "I don't sleep, so I can travel with it."
Emma flashed her a grateful smile, and then an apologetic one to Alistair. "Sorry for waking you."
Having fully woken up, Alistair now saw the tear tracks on Emma's face. "What's happened?"
She shook at the thought of reliving the nightmare so kept her explanation brief. "Aedan's been badly injured." Dead.

She quickly slapped that thought away. He couldn't die! That's not how the story was supposed to go. A voice wormed its way into her brain, whispering insidiously; things haven't exactly been the same though. What if your appearance threw the story out of sync? Maybe there are only supposed to be two Grey Wardens? She clenched her jaw and frantically shoved everything else in her pack, doing her best to block the painful thoughts.

"It might just be a bad dream," Alistair offered.
She shook her head and hoisted her pack onto her shoulders. She couldn't explain why she felt such urgency, but it clung to her with icy fingers and she couldn't ignore it. "I need to go, right now."
Alistair cursed and withdrew back into his tent. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be ready to go with you."
Leliana and Wynne emerged from their tents looking half asleep and wondering what all the commotion was about. Emma gave them the same explanation she'd given to Alistair, as she paced with nervous energy, unable to stand still. If she stopped moving, those horrible, whispering thoughts would sneak back into her brain. She didn't see the glances that passed between the rogue and mage, but she heard their declaration that they would be ready in mere minutes.
With Emma's help, they were packed and on the move within fifteen minutes of her waking. She only prayed that they would arrive in time to help, or preferably to stop the incident from ever occurring.