peopleofthedas | Blood Wound 24 - We have a special connection

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The papers were written in a crabbed, scratchy hand and Alim's tired eyes couldn't deal with trying to work through them right now. He shoved the journal in his pack. "Darkspawn writers," he muttered. "It better be something useful and not a tragic romance about a Hurlock and his faithful Dire Wolf."

"What would he be writing about?" Nathaniel said. The key Seranni had given them had unlocked a chest, packed full of equipment and papers, and the room was littered with alembics and beakers - much like Anders' workroom back at the keep.

Several of the beakers contained blood. It wasn't difficult to realise that the blood was his.

"Perhaps he's trying to create super darkspawn?" Anders said. Alim looked at him and Anders winced. "That's so not a comforting thought I just had."

"It doesn't matter," Velanna said. "We need to find Seranni and get out of here."

"I'm sorry, Velanna, but it does matter," Alim said. "I'm the Commander of the Grey wardens. Finding your sister has to be a secondary concern."

Velanna opened her mouth to say something and Alim wondered if she'd leave them, right there, in the middle of a nest of darkspawn. He wouldn't put it past her. But she faltered, looked down at her hands and took a deep breath.

"I promise, if we find her we'll do everything we can to bring her with us," he said. "But you must understand that the Darkspawn have to be our first concern."

"Of course," she said softly.

"Give me some time here and I might be able to work out what he's trying to do, Commander," Anders said. He was bent over one of the tables, using a metal rod to prod at one of the concoctions. "Pounce would be able to tell what was in this just from smelling it."

"Pity he couldn't then tell you, considering, you know, he's a cat," Alim said.

"We have a special connection."

Nathaniel frowned at Anders. "Where is the animal?"

Anders grinned at him. "Left him with Justice. They get on fine so long as he doesn't try to emancipate him."

Nathaniel blinked. "That's… oddly disturbing."

"I bet he just likes the opportunity to gnaw on the bits of him that fall off," Alim said.

"You take that back, Commander!"

Alim chuckled. "I was joking," he sighed and brushed his hair back from his forehead. "We should have brought Oghren. He'd be able to smell the surface…Or Sigrun…."

Nathaniel shook his head. "We'll find a way out, Commander, do not worry."

Alim nodded. "Pack up all of that," he said. "I'll go over it when we're back at the keep. One more thing to take up my time."

"Oh, the joys of command," Anders said. He was busy pouring the contents of one of the beakers into an empty bottle. Alim frowned.

"Why are you bringing that? I've got plenty in my body you could use."

Anders rolled his eyes. "It's not just your blood, Commander," he said. "Otherwise it would have coagulated… Oh, come on I know you paid attention in Wynne's classes, what kind of healer are you…."

Alim waved a hand. "Fine. Do you think you can find out what else he put in there?"

"That's the plan." Anders stoppered the bottle and sealed it using the wax on a candle. "He shouldn't have left it lying around open," the mage said critically. "His samples would be all corrupted…"

"I very much doubt he was paying attention in Wynne's classes, Anders," Alim said. "I'm sure we would have noticed a freakishly tall darkspawn sitting at the back of the room."

Anders grinned. "Good point."

They made their way out of the room and up some stairs, into a large chamber. Alim was reminded again of the ruins in the Brecilian Forest.

There was a familiar odour as well. At first he thought it was simply because of his memories — they had, after all, fought a dragon there too, but when the odour came accompanied by a sighting of the strange darkspawn and the sickeningly familiar leathery flap of wings he groaned.

"Dragons," he said shortly. "Only little ones, thank the maker. But dragons all the same."

"You do like to keep us on our toes, don't you, Commander," Anders quipped, letting his staff fall into his hands.

"I can't call dragons."

"Here I thought you could do anything."

"Shut up."

Anders shut up, apart from his periodically bloodthirsty battle cries, and Alim had time to see Velanna's spells in action. It was surprisingly easy to kill dragons, even large ones, when they were pinned to the ground with tree roots. Nathaniel shot one of them through both eyes and he froze the other to let it be shattered by a stonefist from Anders. As the last chunks settled and Velanna's roots descended back into the broken stones of the floor he heard the elven woman shout again and looked up.

"Seranni! Seranni!"

The strange, tall darkspawn stood on a ledge overlooking their dragon battlefield, and next to him a dwarf woman and Velanna's sister. The taint was obvious in all of them, he could feel it now, feel it's fingers reaching out to the corruption that rested in his own blood, but there was something more… something wrong that made him pause.

"What are you waiting for? We have to save her!"

"If you can fly, Velanna, you're welcome to try to get up there," Anders said, hands on his knees and panting.

"Seranni!"

The party on the ledge backed away through a tunnel, and there was a crash as magic brought down the roof behind them. Alim steadied himself on Spellweaver as the ground shook, anxiously watching the ceiling for any signs it might come down, but the structure, which had stood for so long, stayed secure and he heaved a sigh of relief.

"Velanna, I am sorry."

"No! Why is she with that monster? We must get to her!"

Alim closed his eyes and let her distress wash over him. There truly was nothing he could do. They needed to get back to the keep and resupply - he'd have to stop in Amaranthine and get a new staff - he winced as he remembered anew the loss of Wintersbreath - and then… and then….

…they were going to have to find the source of these darkspawn. And wipe them out. There was no time for a rescue mission.

"You're welcome to come with us back to Amaranthine, Velanna. Perhaps we can find your clan on the way."

Velanna was looking at the collapsed tunnel with narrowed eyes. "They say…" she faced Alim, her expression resolute. "They say wardens can sense darkspawn, even deep beneath the ground. I would join the Grey Wardens. Give me the ability to hunt down these monsters in the deep."

Alim blinked. He had little experience with Dalish elves, but Velanna, for all her power, looked young. He knew they lived far longer than his city brethren, and she was willingly… He swallowed and shook his head.

"The joining could kill you."

"At the very least it's hard to get the taste out of your mouth for a few hours."

"I am not afraid of death."

Nathaniel muttered something and turned away and Alim sighed, sheathing Spellweaver on his back.

"You have seen my magic. You cannot deny it will help you in your battle against the darkspawn. I am offering to pledge my service to you in exchange for the powers your order can grant. What say you?"

He looked at her. They would have to find the strange darkspawn, that much was certain. If Seranni stayed with him, then his work would bring them to what Velanna wanted in any case. There was the chance she would die in the joining. She would never have children. She would be forced to die fighting the darkspawn, or succumb to the taint.

And there was a chance her sister would be dead before they could reach her.

"She wants to be a warden, Commander," Nathaniel said over his shoulder. "How many willing recruits do you get for the Wardens?"

He swallowed, remembering Mhairi. Jory. Daveth. The dead recruits at Weisshaupt. He shivered, feeling the harsh snow laden wind of the Anderfels on his skin, even though they were far underground. "Too many," he said. "Velanna, we'll have to go back to the Vigil in order to put you through the Joining. And once you're a warden, you're expected to stay with us, even should you find your sister. It is a calling, and you will be under my command. The Wardens give up their identities. You will have no clan, no life other than us. Do you understand?"

The elf's mouth twisted in a bitter line. "I cannot go back to my clan," she said. "It will be good to have a purpose."

He took a deep breath. "Very well then. Welcome to the wardens."

Velanna looked down and then up again, in what he realised was her version of a bow. She was so very proud. Dangerous, in a mage. Very dangerous.

"Ma serannas," she said softly. "Shall we go then? I've had enough of this place."

Alim nodded and motioned for the others to leave. He stood for a moment in the centre of the chamber, looking at the corpses of the dragons, the masonry littered everywhere from their spells and remembered the soft tones of the darkspawn's voice. What was he planning?

He rubbed absently at the scar on his palm as he followed the others outside into the moonlight.