Into the Woods (a Dragon Age fanfiction)

Truth Is

As they moved farther into the Tirashan, the jungle gradually gave way to giant trees that towered far into the air. Vines no longer reached out to tangle around their ankles and trip them; the ground was covered instead with a dense carpet of decaying leaves. The sounds of the forest continued to be unusual—the rustlings of large creatures mingled with sharp cries and deep, bellowing calls. The Driazi strode along beside them, looming over them all. The tall, scaled men were alert to every sound around them, but completely ignored any attempts by Jennie and her companions to draw them into any type of communication. Morrigan flew above their heads, equally unapproachable.

"I have no idea where we're going," Jennie remarked to Zev as the elf drew up alongside her.

"Nor do I." He patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Do not be concerned; we were brought here for a reason, but that reason was surely not to harm us."

"How can you be so sure? If her family's safety required one of our lives, do you really think Morrigan would balk at that?" Jennie asked. Had it been her family, she could imagine what she would be willing to do. What she had done, in fact, when it was necessary, and for people she was far less devoted to than Morrigan was to her husband and child.

Zev glanced at her sharply and then away, and Jennie sighed. It was sometimes hard to remember how little any of her companions knew about the bonds of family. Hers wasn't what she would have called warm, but they had been fanatically loyal to each other as long as her father lived, and those emotions were unforgettable. It was why she couldn't be sorry she'd been taken out of the fight before she could properly retaliate against her sister. Anxiously she twisted to look over her shoulder into the deep gloom behind her. Where was Bethany? What had the Chantry's people done with her? Or to her?

"Leliana took your sister for a reason," Zev said, almost reluctantly. "Our Chantry mouse does nothing without purpose."

"What could she want from Bethany?"

"Power? Alliance? Strength? Knowledge of you?"

Any of those were possibilities, Jennie had to admit.

Suddenly one of the Driazi was towering over her, his black eyes blazing. "Sssh!"

Immediately, Jennie and Zevran ceased speaking, and indeed, ceased moving, both of them listening carefully. A thudding sound was coming toward them. Ahead, all the others had stopped as well, their native companions pulling them this way and that to make a space. The thudding was louder now; Jennie could recognize it as the footsteps of some large creature. She felt the strong hand of the Driazi on her shoulder, holding her still, and her hand in turn tightened on the reins of the horse she was leading. She could hear the cracking of tree branches now, high and sharp above the dull boom of the running feet, and suddenly there it was, the largest creature she had ever seen, covered in a tough hide that looked greenish in the dim light of the torches, running past them on two huge legs as though they weren't there. It had a mouth full of giant sharp teeth that dripped saliva in its path. As they all stood perfectly still, no sound or movement, the creature didn't even turn its head in their direction. It knocked two trees down in its path before disappearing into the darkness.

Jennie held herself still until the pressure on her shoulder eased. Then she looked up at the Driazi—Jitzal, if she remembered right. "What was that?"

He was still watching the trees where the monster had gone. When Jennie asked her question again it seemed to bring him back to their current location and he looked down at her, shaking his head, and pointed ahead of them, where the others were already on the move again.