The Dalish Warden (The Daughters of Thedas Book 1)

42: The Dead Trenches

When we arrived, I was hit with such a strong feeling of recognition. I looked around me, trying to place why it looked so familiar. Alistair had the same look on his face. "You too?" he asked.

"I've never set foot in Orzammar or the Dead Trenches, but I feel as if I'd seen it before. I..." I crept over to the edge and looked down into a gorge. It was filled with Darkspawn.

The horde was massive, filling a gorge with their numbers.

"Alistair." This was the gorge I'd seen in my dreams. I looked up and around and soon saw the rickety bridge I'd seen the Archdemon standing on.

"I know. I've seen it too."

Alistair and I crept closer to the edge when suddenly the Archdemon himself barreled upwards. We took a couple of steps back.

"Maker's breath!"

The Archdemon landed hard on the bridge. His back was to us as he belched fire and roared. We crouched and watched him.

"What are you waiting for?" Oghren asked. "Now's your chance!"

I shook my head. "We don't have an army behind us," I said. "And if we attempted and failed, the Darkspawn would take it out on the Dwarves first before completing their campaign on the surface." I wasn't going to admit it out loud, but Alistair and I had no idea exactly how to kill the Archdemon.

Oghren grunted.

"Wise words, Warden," Sten said, respect in his voice.

Alistair and I looked at each other as the Archdemon reared up and slammed his forelegs down on the bridge. The gathered Darkspawn began to march off. The Archdemon took flight and flew off into a different part of the Trenches. We watched him fly off and stood. So The Dead Trenches was indeed the lair of the Darkspawn.

~~~

We followed the path and came upon a group of Dwarves battling Darkspawn.

"The Legion gives no quarter!" one cried. "Send 'em to the Stone!"

They fought like demons and Alistair and I matched them in skill. We ran ahead, cutting through Darkspawn and an ogre like water through filth. The Legionnaires ran after us once they all lay dead.

"Well, Grey Warden," the commander said. "I'll give you credit for backbone. You've dug a line through the 'spawn. Still no sense in your head, but you've got skill."

I ignored the attempted insult. If I'd had any sense, I wouldn't have been tainted by a sodding mirror nor joined the Wardens. "You know I am a Grey Warden?"

"I recognize a fighter of Darkspawn. It marks you. It's why we in the Legion of the Dead abandon our lives so we can face them without fear. It's a sacrifice I understand the Grey Wardens are familiar with. What do you want here?" The Legion of the Dead would be a treasured ally against the Blight, as from what I understood from Duncan's lessons, they fought to the death against the Darkspawn between Blights.

"I am Realin and I am looking for allies."

"The name's Kardol. This is an odd tactic, recruiting on the frontline. The Darkspawn pitch their camps in our tunnels between your 'Blights', you know."

"I am aware of that."

"Our place is here, Warden. And watch yourself. Drunks make poor allies."

Oghren grumbled something under his breath.

We left the Legionnaires and continued on our journey through the Trenches. Even though they were referred to as trenches, they were far from that. They weren't any different from the halls and tunnels we'd been in previously. Aside from having more Darkspawn. After cutting our way through various Darkspawn, ogres, spiders, and Shrieks, we came upon a tunnel lit with a red firelight and we went inside.