The Dalish Commander (The Daughters of Thedas Book 2)

26: The Strange Elf's Warning

Soundtrack:

Tavern Brawl ~ Inon Zur (The Crown and Lion)

As we made our way to Amaranthine to inform Mervis his troubles were over and to find Nida, Velanna and Justice conversed about the Beyond and spirits in general. The others conversed amongst themselves as I thought of what we would do if the Darkspawn infighting spilled onto our doorsteps. Utha and Genevieve's betrayals of the Order were also on my mind.

"Have you ever thought of returning to Orzammar?" Nathaniel asked Oghren.

"Not sure I can. Technically, I'm a surface Dwarf now."

"Why 'technically'? You don't know for certain?"

"It's not like they send you a letter. 'Congratulations! You have been ejected from the Warrior Caste!'"

"Do you care?"

"Sometimes. Then I drink more and it goes away."

I laughed.

"Being a surface Dwarf and Warden is much better than how Realin found me anyway."

"Oh?" I didn't say anything. It wasn't my tale to tell, just like my tainting wasn't his.

"I'd been forbidden to carry a weapon in Orzammar. I'd killed a man in a Proving while I was drunk and they deemed me too dangerous to be allowed to be armed. That is worse than exile to a member of the Warrior Caste."

"Weren't you technically a noble as well?" I asked.

Oghren laughed. "I guess I was. House Branka." He sighed. "I was the laughing stock after she left. Which caused me to drink more which led to that Proving and the ban."

"Sounds like Realin arrived just in time," Nathaniel commented.

"Aye, she did. Killing Darkspawn on the surface is a better use of my time."

"Speaking of Darkspawn," Justice suddenly said. "What exactly was that creature we met?"

"I've done some digging. He is the first of the talking Darkspawn. He claims he was born like that and is feared by his fellows. My predecessor had a run-in with him years ago when he was a junior Warden. That is all I've been able to find. Everyone who was on that mission in the Deep Roads are all dead but one but I'm sure she has taken her Calling by now." I wasn't sure if I should tell them about Utha.

"Calling?"

"The taint will eventually be more than we can take. Then we begin to hear the Calling. We hear what the Darkspawn hear, the next Old God calling to them to free him. It's then that a Warden will go into the Deep Roads and kill as many Darkspawn as they can before they are overwhelmed and killed."

"Kinda like the Legion of the Dead?" Oghren asked.

"Yeah, kinda like that. We'd rather die fighting while we still can rather than just wait to die."

"What happens if a Warden doesn't go to his Calling and just waits around?" Anders asked.

I knew I was going to have to tell them about Utha. "You end up like the Dwarf we saw with the Architect."

"That was a Warden!" Velanna cried.

"She was the other Warden you were sensing?" Justice asked.