Special thanks to BioWare and the readers!
Such an ugly hiatus, my apologies for that if any of the original readers are still here. My own novel is doing quite well and now is the time to continue this story as means to keep myself writing more frequently in general. And of course to conclude this, that is still the plan.
We hadn't even ventured far into the Deep Roads and I already couldn't believe what I saw.
The entrance to underground was located quite near of Kirkwall. Bartrand had explained that there had been several spots, but no information which was usable. The maps he had received from Anders pointed out a cave that hadn't collapsed and eventually led to the Roads. According to him, the path had been used by the Wardens and such an assurance had been a good enough reason for Bartrand to pick it.
I found it hard to keep my eyes off the ceiling that seemed to be so far away from the ground. Bodahn, the dwarven merchant who had accompanied us, described to me how most of the Roads were just tunnels which occasionally widened into larger caverns that his kin had used as outposts for mining. We had passed through such areas couple of times, but the size of an ancient excavation site was nothing compared to what surrounded us after hours of walk.
The walls were tall and perfectly shaped, creating an illusion of a huge building like a temple which I assumed the region we were at was supposed to feel like. Two great dwarfs made of stone stood proudly on both of my sides, welcoming whoever had the courage to face the underground and I could hear a faint dripping sound coming from a cluster of stalactites. The hall was best described as magical, making it easy for me to imagine water being able to squeeze through the surface all the way to the ceiling of the Deep Roads.
I could have spent days admiring one single cavern, but Bartrand pressured us to hurry up. My knowledge of the dwarves deserved no praise and I had never met one who would be part of the Qun, but I knew they were familiar with the Deep Roads and figured the subject was too common for them to be impressed about it anymore. It occurred to me that perhaps such unique sites took my breath more easily away due to having lived an isolated life.
After one last glance at the statues, my feet stepped on flat paving. The soft ground had turned into hard floor made of stone tiles. There were holes and eroded stone here and there, but we still had a clear path to follow. One of Bartrand's henchmen ran ahead to scout the area while others ensured the wheels of the supply carts didn't get stuck on anything. I wasn't sure how much money usually was involved in a Deep Roads expedition, but Bartrand eyed at the shaking equipment as keenly as a mother guarding her cubs.
I thought it was intriguing to see how the tunnel changed the further we walked till there were no signs of natural earth being hidden behind the smooth stone walls and the floor. I trailed the carvings on the supporting pillars with my gaze, feeling as if we were strolling through some street in Hightown.
Bartrand raised his hand and everyone grasped his meaning. I stopped in confusion while my brothers seemed more frustrated, like they had expected an obstacle and found it annoying that they had been right. I tried to peer ahead and saw only a spacious cavern behind the men and the supply carts, but then the scout emerged from one of the side passages and ran towards us, wearing a concerned look on his face.
"The path ahead has collapsed," the dwarf huffed. "It's impossible to go through here."
"What?!" Bartrand bellowed, forcing the scout to take few steps back. "Have you found a way around then?"
"N-not yet," the scout clearly evaded looking his boss straight in the eye. "I took a look at the smaller tunnels, but they are too dangerous."
Bartrand paced for a short moment, scratching his shaven cheeks and shaking his head at the scout. I jumped from a surprise when he suddenly landed a heavy punch at the poor dwarf, dropping the man on the floor. Blood trickled from the scout's nose as he struggled to get back up while holding his face.
"You useless fools!" Bartrand cursed. "Why am I even paying you? Stop gawking and set camp here!"
When I caught Roghart's attention, he sighed long and hard, which told me that we had no choice but to obey. The human staff of the expedition began to unload the wagons while the dwarves grabbed hammers and pitons and searched for good spots to set up the tents. I watched closely, fascinated of how working the stone surfaces seemed as easy as digging soft sand from them. The underground proved no challenge for a race of people who were made to survive in such conditions.
I waited for a moment to see if my help was needed, but the fast pace of the workers made it clear that we would only get in their way. After a short search, I spotted a large rock not too far away from the camp and made it my seat. I kept staring at the dwarves and began to see the differences between forced labor and honest paid work. The look in their eyes was bright and motivated, something I had never seen among the slaves of my tribe.
When I turned my head to hide a yawn, I saw one of the side passages the scout had mentioned. It led to a large cavern, but the tunnel curved at the end which made it impossible for me to inspect what lied within. I rose up and took a couple of slow steps towards the passage, trying to get a better view and figure out why the scout had deemed it to be too dangerous to enter.
My curiosity was noted as Anders approached me. I flashed a quick smile at him and resumed my investigations.
"Care to share your thoughts?" he asked and his voice was clear enough to be heard by the others, which obviously had been his intention.
We can go, I signed to him and pointed at the tunnel as I had no idea what kind of gesture to use to describe it. Us. Look for a path.
"What's she saying?" Roghart joined the discussion after seeing me signing.
"That we should just go around and search for another way forward instead of sitting here and do nothing?" Varric said with a smug grin, like he had read my mind. His correct guess didn't surprise me as I couldn't have been the only one who thought that all of us had faced worse than an unexplored passage in the Deep Roads.
I nodded, showing an excited grin at my brother with the lack of any better method to persuade him. He glanced at Bartrand who kept glaring at us, as if we were plotting something against him.
"It's why we are here, to be honest," Roghart told the dwarf, assuming that he had been listening to us. "To solve problems. I don't see why we shouldn't tackle this one as well."
"Do as you please," Bartrand grunted. "I only benefit whether or not you succeed."
Although I wasn't stunned of the dwarf's harsh words, I would have expected a bit more prudence from the leader of an important expedition. Throwing resources at problems until there was a big enough hole to crawl through seemed unprofessional to me. I had been literally pushed into many battles without a solid plan before, but I detested how Bartrand treated his workers and us like skipping stones, used for someone's amusement and then left at the bottom of the sea after the brief show was over.
I regretted not having insisted Isabela to come with us, even if she would have been more excited of the hidden treasures than the exploration. Her cheerful presence always uplifted my spirits and she knew how to deal with stubborn people in a way that left her with the winning hand every time.
"Always a charmer, that brother of mine," Varric shrugged his shoulders. "We should just go."
"I hate the bloody Deep Roads," Anders muttered while rubbing his forehead.
It's beautiful though, right? I signed with a smile which only widened when Anders silently agreed. Having seen so little of the world, the surroundings deserved all of my attention, not some petty hindrance we could overcome as a group.
"Ah, please wait!" Bodahn cried to us before we ventured forth. "I'm sorry to add to your burdens, but this is about my boy Sandal!"
"Did something happen?" Roghart inquired.
"I fear that he's wandered off," Bodahn's voice was on the verge of breaking. "Not a half hour ago, I left him to watch our equipment to hand out rations and he was gone by the time I was back! He was most likely distracted by something he must have found curious. He tends to do that."
"Brother," Carver said to Roghart, "this kid is somewhere is those passages, alone. What are his changes really?"
I shot a nasty glare at my not-so-subtle brother for condemning the boy so lightly. If he wasn't regretful, Carver seemed to be at least rethinking his comment after seeing the look on my face.
"Sandal is much more talented than you think," Bodahn scoffed and I didn't blame him for being hurt. "If he's got one of his enchantments with him, he'll be fine if anyone tries to threaten him. I'm more worried that he's got lost. Why didn't I warn him more often?"
From what I had seen, the boy was clearly simple-minded and the Deep Roads would be the worst place for him to stray from the others. Bodahn wasn't panicked though. He sounded troubled, but there was certain confidence in his words and it couldn't be only because of the sturdiness dwarves were known of. One of the few things I recalled about his race was that they couldn't use magic, which made me quite curious about the enchantment Bodahn had mentioned. I believed it was the reason why he was more concerned about Sandal getting lost than the lurking darkspawn.
"We'll keep an eye out," Roghart promised.
"Thank you, good sir," Bodahn sighed from relief. "I will reward you, just please find him."
"We are all part of this expedition. You don't need to reward us for doing our job."
Such modesty was a new trait I hadn't yet seen in my brother and looking at his earnest face made me feel pleasantly warm. If a member of a qunari patrol went missing, they wouldn't waste time and resources to try and locate him. Sandal's disappearance brought a memory of a Saarebas like Coin in my head who had vanished during a battle long ago, left behind to hold enemies while the rest of the army had pressed on. It was a mistake I couldn't rectify because no Arvaarad would send his leashed pet to save another Saarebas.
Fist, I spoke his name in my mind. The one Saarebas who could exceed Coin in physical strength, whose fists seemed to do more damage than magic.
"You okay, Reneka?" Anders startled me and I quickly cleared my thoughts.
Thanks, I signed but the smile on my face began to fade and turned into embarrassed gaping once I realized I had used the wrong gesture. Yes, I attempted to correct myself, feeling even more awkward when I couldn't think of anything else to add to my short reply.
I hoped Anders would have stopped staring at me, like he was forcing some kid to reveal the truth behind the lies. I found his frowning face adorable in some weird way which made it even harder for me not to blush under such inspection.
"Alright, we're ready to go," Carver informed, carrying filled waterskins and small rations he had received from Bodahn.
I grabbed my portion, inaudibly thanking my brother for relieving me of my situation. Roghart took the lead by strolling into the passage and I hurried to catch up with him. As I passed Anders, I halted for a moment to take his hand like I always did with people when I wished to assure them. With my eyes closed, I flashed a grin at him, surprised how naturally it came to me. When I looked at Anders again, I noticed his cheeks were reddish which made me release his hand faster than it was appropriate. His perplexed gaze made me try and remedy the odd atmosphere with another smile before continuing casually ambling by his side in silence, acting like nothing unusual had happened.
The easiness of wearing a happy face must have been due to the miles I had put between myself and my tribe. I felt safe in the presence of my brothers and the chills I kept having in Kirkwall hadn't occurred once while Anders had walked with me. Although I still yearned for Isabela's company, Varric was like her when it came to keeping the mood light, without the vulgar insights and filthy language.
I had also remarked that remembering the other Saarebas of my tribe didn't cause any stinging pain in my chest. The Arishok would never receive my forgiveness and I couldn't even think about him without a foul taste in my mouth, but there was hope for me to accept at least some of the qunari, even those who hadn't been chained like me.
Being deep underground in a nest of monsters and unknown dangers to understand the idea hadn't been part of my plan to proceed on that path, though.
#
"Beware of their taint!" I heard Anders' warning and jumped out of the way when the hurlock I had frozen solid with my magic fell down, shattering like a glass mirror.
I had waited for the first darkspawn to ambush us, anxious about having no clue whether or not everyone except me had encountered them before. Anders seemed to know what he was doing against the creatures and Varric's arrows burrowed deep into his enemies before they were aware of his presence. My brothers cut their targets down before they could get anywhere close to them, thus keeping them out of the taint's reach. If there was one thing people had been taught about the darkspawn, it was their poisonous blood.
I used the smaller encounters on our way to practice my protection spells and tried not to grin too proudly whenever Anders praised my progress. It felt blissful not to be responsible for spilled blood and crushed bones for once. While the Saarebas' had nicknamed me Red due to my ability to consume red lyrium, my Arvaarad assumed it had been a jest about the blood caked on my hands from always being on the front lines. His inability to understand the pain that came with the crimson-colored hands had always triggered me to the point of wanting to tear his heart out.
As I was healing a wound on Roghart's arm, I found it odd that recalling my Arvaarad's face didn't make me more angry. I still wished for his death along with the rest of the tribe excluding the Saarebas'. Until now, I had felt great enjoyment from picturing such a scene, but not anymore. Dreaming of the tribe's doom made me peacefully relieved, not bitterly satisfied.
"Looks like we have a moment to catch our breath," Anders sighed after having scouted the area.
"Pretty handy to have a Grey Warden in the Deep Roads with us, being able to sense the darkspawn and all," Varric smirked.
Anders gave the dwarf a meaningful look. "Oh, by all means, lets switch places and you'll see for yourself how fun it is to be constantly aware of these bastards hidden in the darkness, just waiting to stab you."
Grey Ward...? I finally asked Anders, having no idea how to sign the word and failed to fill in the missing letters. The term had made me wonder about its meaning since Bartrand had first mentioned it. Plus everyone except me seemed to be familiar with it.
Varric's sneer told me that he had correctly read the confusion my face must have shown and figured I had no idea what the title meant. "They fight the darkspawn," Varric answered. "And other sons of bitches when there are no darkspawn to kill. Your boyfriend is a great warrior who even aided the Hero of Ferelden, who now is the queen."
"You done?" Anders inquired, a hint of light annoyance in his voice.
"I'm a storyteller, Blondie," Varric wore the most innocent smile. "Aren't you thankful that you have me to recount your deeds to the world?"
"Thrilled," Anders said as sarcastically as he could.
The topic was quickly dropped, leaving me standing still like an idiot who couldn't participate in the discussion I had no knowledge of, even if I had a tongue to talk. I hurried my steps to catch up with the others and tried to keep an eye on my surroundings. Losing focus in the Deep Roads could be a fatal mistake, but I had quite a lot experience in ignoring all thoughts not related to killing my enemies.
I noticed how silent everyone had fallen, like they expected to be attacked at any moment during our walk through another tunnel. They were wise to be wary, making me question my own calm attitude. The Saarebas fought in the front lines, attracting enemies and clearing the field for soldiers who entered the battle once the mages were drained of their mana. With red lyrium, I could last much longer than the average spellcaster and my tribe had known perfectly how to put it on good account.
Fighting solely for survival had made me too cocky, a feature I had become to realize about myself now that there were other lives on the line except my own. I still had a long, cumbersome road ahead of me if I wished to change everything my Arvaarad had rooted inside my brain about my role as a fighter. Even Coin had found peace in the end and by squeezing the amulet he had given me I believed there could be hope for me as well.
There was a sudden decrease in temperature which alarmed the others than me as well. The walls of the tunnel we had arrived at were covered in bluish frost and there was a clear trail of splattered blood on the ground. Roghart grabbed the hilt of his sword and marched forward, leaving us no choice but to follow closely behind him. As I kept my gaze lifted up to spot any lurking darkspawn behind the curve, my foot got suddenly stuck and I fell down, gasping from the surprise.
"You okay?" Anders asked in a worried tone and both him and Carver rushed to help me up, though they halted for the same reason I did once we saw what had toppled me.
I was lying on top of one of the numerous darkspawn corpses scattered around the cavern like tossed dolls. When I pushed myself back on my feet, I remarked that the hurlock soldier I had tripped on had its whole chest crushed in, like some great magical force or a massive hammer had hit it. Because Sandal didn't seem the type to wield heavy weapons, I assumed the former method was to blame for the carnage.
"Isn't that Bodahn's boy?" Varric cocked his head at Sandal who stood in the middle of the bodies, scratching his bottom like there wasn't anything unusual happening around him.
Roghart approached the dwarf without caution and Sandal turned around, wearing a childish grin on his bloodstained face. It made me feel a bit uneasy, like the times I had witnessed the pure joy of killing some qunari of my tribe had shown each time their foes received the final blow. I didn't envy Bodahn who likely had spent many long hours trying to explain to people how the smile of his son had no malice behind it.
"Hello," Sandal greeted happily.
"Well hello to you, too," Roghart knelt down and inspected the dwarf, probably in order to search for any injuries. "Looks like our swords weren't needed here. I'm quite eager to know how in Andraste's name did you manage this."
Sandal extended his arm and opened his fist, revealing a deep red stone with a rune carved on top of it. "Boom," he said dramatically.
Roghart shot a puzzled glare at me and I grabbed the stone in his stead. As soon as it touched the skin of my palm, I could feel warm yet intense magical energy swirling inside it, like it was about to explode in order to get free. Despite the amount of red lyrium I had handled, Sandal's runestone made me want to toss it as far away as humanly possible.
Flinching, I detected a similar source of energy close to us, though it didn't come from Sandal. I took a few steps forward to peer around an extension in the cavern, holding my breath when I came face-to-face with a darkspawn ogre that had been frozen solid. My brother must have heard the gasp as he leaped to my side and reacted almost the same way as I had at the sight of a monster that had been immobilized in the middle of a raging charge.
"How did you do that?" Roghart frowned at Sandal, a look most of us mimicked in bewilderment.
There was a brief moment when the expression on Sandal's face was more solemn as he stared at the ogre, but he soon turned his head at Roghart and resumed his smile. "Not enchantment," he stated with joy and wandered off, like we weren't even there.
If Sandal had been a Saarebas of my tribe, I would have assumed he had gone insane from consuming red lyrium. His nonchalant attitude and inappropriate grinning while walking through the battered corpses was frighteningly close to my memory of an enemy Saarebas I had slayed during one of my many battles. It had been my first time encountering a maddened qunari mage and I never wished to meet one again.
I was somehow saddened by the fact that I had nothing else than my life as a Saarebas to compare to whenever I tried to learn something new. Even deep underground, I kept bringing the qunari up when I was supposed to ignore them for my own good. I couldn't understand why the hell I even thought about the mad Saarebas when I looked at Sandal. Why would I use my life with the qunari to categorize people? My brothers had immediately taken me in as their long-lost sister and Isabela didn't treat me any different after I had shown her the power of red lyrium. Fenris clearly felt uncomfortable about my magic, but even he hadn't labeled me as a Saarebas but a mage who had helped him.
While the others went after Sandal as the dwarf seemed to know which way to go, Anders tapped my shoulder, offering me a napkin. "Uh, you've got a stain, right there, and there," he pointed at my face in a voice that was a mix of disgust towards the darkspawn blood and friendly concern.
With an embarrassed chuckle, I took the cloth and wiped the bloodstains off while eying at Anders. He had been the most understanding of my situation as an enslaved mage, yet had made the least fuzz about it. His presence alone managed to divert my focus off the tribe in Kirkwall and the Arishok. I was so grateful to him for so many things that I wasn't certain if there were enough ways in the world to show it to him.
Why are you staring at me? Anders signed me, probably to test if I could decipher the words correctly.
Or at least I couldn't figure out another reason for his silent question. He seemed bemused and there was a faint smirk on his lips. I wasn't too good at the Cant yet and couldn't remember every word I wanted to say to him, which made me childishly angry at myself. Struggling to come up with a reply that wouldn't be completely misspelled, I chose just a few simple signs.
Because I like to, I gestured confidently and handed the napkin back.
A moment of weirdness followed when Anders didn't move right away and I was left standing with the napkin in my hand, like the time had stopped for a second and it affected all of us. He blinked fast and took the piece of now reddened cloth with a peculiar smile. I answered it by holding his hand like I always did with everyone when thanking them, but this time his skin felt hotter than usual. The warmth made my heart pound faster and I figured the sweet sensation would continue to grow for as long as I allowed it.
Despite the temptation, I released my grip slowly and nodded my head at Roghart, implying that we should hurry after him. I was sure Anders replied something, but I couldn't hear it through the thumping noise in my head which bothered me until I realized it was just an echo of the concert inside my chest.
The next upload is going to be a special chapter I started ages ago, mostly because it's nearly finished so I'll have it here in a day or two. :D Already working on the next main story chapter, too!