The Dalish Warden (The Daughters of Thedas Book 1)

49: Lifting the Curse

Soundtrack:

Valley of the Pain ~ Dark Sanctuary

The werewolves growled when we returned with Zathrian. I stood next to him when we faced the Lady, while the others stood a couple of paces behind us.

"So here you are, spirit," he said.

Swiftrunner leapt forward. I took a step forward and in front of Zathrian. Swiftrunner stopped inches from me. He growled and I put a hand on his chest and gave him a look of warning. "She is the Lady of the Forest! You will address her properly!"

"Swiftrunner," I said in a low voice.

He backed away and returned to the Lady's side. I returned to my original position.

"You've taken a name, spirit? And you've given names to your pets? These... beasts who follow you."

"It was they who gave me a name, Zathrian," the Lady said. "And the names they take are their own. They follow me because I help them to find who they are."

"Who they are has not changed from who their ancestors were. Wild savages! Worthless dogs! Their twisted shape only mirrors their monstrous hearts!"

"He will not help us, Lady!" Swiftrunner cried. "It is as I warned you! He is not here to talk!"

"No, I am here to talk." Zathrian gave me a dirty look, which I ignored. "Though I see little point in it. We all know where this will lead. Your nature compels it, as does mine."

The Lady approached Zathrian. "It does not have to be that way," she said. "There is room in your heart for compassion. Surely your retribution is spent."

"My retribution is eternal, spirit, as is my pain. This is justice, no more."

The Lady returned to where she had been standing. "Are you sure your pain is the only reason you will not end this curse? Have you told the mortal how it was created?"

"He said he summoned you and bound you to the body of a wolf," I answered.

"And so he did. Witherfang and I are bound as one being. But such powerful magic could not be accomplished without Zathrian's own blood."

I looked at him, shocked. Had he used blood magic to curse them?

"Your people believe you have rediscovered the immortality of their ancestors, Zathrian, but that is not true. So long as the curse exists, so do you."

"No! That is not how it is!"

The shock gave way to anger. This was not what Keepers did. They put the clan before themselves. "You betrayed our people's trust? For revenge?"

"You don't understand, Realin...." I had lost all respect for Zathrian. He had cursed the humans, thus making himself immortal in the process and deceiving our people. I understood plenty.

"Would Zathrian's death end the curse?" I asked, not giving him the chance to explain why he misled our people all these centuries.

"No. The curse has a life of its own, though Zathrian's life depends on it. His death plays a part in its ending, however."

"Then we kill him!" Swiftrunner said. "We tear him apart now!"

"For all your powers of speech, you are beasts still! What would you gain from killing me? Only I know how the ritual ends and I will never do it!"

"You see? We must kill them all!"

Zathrian turned to me. "See?" he said. "They turn on you as quickly! Do what you have come to do, Grey Warden, or get out of my way."