It was a few days' ride out from Skyhold to this part of the Orlesian countryside. From what the others had said, it was somewhere near a place called the Exalted Plains. This region, though, was a bit hillier than anything properly called a plain, and at times the road led them into wooded areas, surrounding them with the pale bark of ash trees and dimming the natural illumination from the sun overhead.
Khari rode at the front of their little group, astride the sorrel horse Dennet had initially provided her. Romulus rode quietly beside her. Despite his injuries having almost entirely healed, he didn't look very comfortable atop the horse. Behind them, Asala rode at a close clip. Primarily because Khari held the reins to her horse. She still hadn't quite learned the basics of riding a horse yet, and mainly focused on gripping the saddle pommel to try and not fall off. Estella, perhaps the only other particularly experienced rider, had elected to take the rear guard position. Zahra rode slightly in the back, closer to Estella. If she was having any difficulties astride a horse, she was doing well to hide it. Gripping the reins in both hands, she seemed to busy herself by looking at their surroundings.
The stippled sunlight made the shadows in between the trees seem longer, deeper. A slightly-uneasy feeling hung over the place, almost like there were eyes on their backs, looking out from someplace Asala couldn't quite find. Every once in a while, Khari would turn her head sharply, glaring towards a different part of the wood, a frown slowly etching its way deeper into her face. But then her attention would turn forward again, a muttered something under her breath the only indication that it was more than mere watchfulness.
Though the weather was still mild in the part of Thedas they were in, Asala still clutched her cloak tightly. She felt that they were being watched, but could not figure out from where or from whom, no matter how intently she stared off into the trees. Perhaps it was simply paranoia, of being so far away from Skyhold in an unfamiliar land. Despite the reach of the Inquisition's influence, she herself had not ventured far into Orlesian land. Still, she couldn't quite buck the feeling that something was off.
"So, uh..." she began, if only to break the silence, Are we th-there yet?" she asked, though the answer truly didn't matter. She only wanted hear something that wasn't the crackle of leaves or brushing of tree limbs.
Khari shook her head in response, glancing back over her shoulder at Asala. âWe're close. Ser Durand doesn't usually cross into the forest, but this path will put us back out in the hills within another couple of miles." She sounded certain enough that she must have been personally familiar with the trail. Pushing a breath out of her nose, she spoke a little louder, probably so that her words would carry back to Estella and Zahra.
âDon't mind the prying eyes. They know as well as I do that this is nobody's land. I'm not even sure what they're doing hereâit's not like them to get this close to the edge of the woods." She shifted a bit in her saddle, dropping her feet out of the stirrups and rotating her ankles.
âYou mean the Dalish, right?" Estella spoke up from a few meters behind them. She also seemed to have the vague sense that people were around, but like Asala, it didn't appear that she could pinpoint anything specific. âIf... you don't mind me asking, would the clan or clans around here be yours?" The question was tentative; perhaps she anticipated it going over poorly.
âIt's usually only the one, this close to the Plains." Khari shifted her line of sight to peer deeper into the trees. âAnd yeah... that'd be the Genardalia. Mine, once." She shrugged; it wasn't really clear how she felt about that. The tone she used to discuss it was oddly uninflected, for her.
âWe could... I mean, if you wanted to see anyone, I don't think it would hurt to make a stop," Estella suggested, trying to follow the direction of Khari's eyes and evidently not finding anything. âJust, you know... a visit, or something."
Khari snorted, shaking her head emphatically. âThat's kind of you, Stel, really. But it wouldn't be some kind of warm, happy reunion. They probably think I'm deadâand honestly, it's better that way. I'm not exactly the pride of the clan, if you know what I mean." The trees around them began to thin, admitting more sunlight, and gradually, the feeling that they weren't quite alone started to fade.
While Zahra hadnât outright made any inflections on the creeping sensation of being watched⊠she did appear more at ease when the trees thinned out.
"They'll know you're not dead now," Romulus added, visibly relaxing a bit once they got clear of the thickest wooded areas. "Assuming we were being watched by someone that would recognize you." He paused for a bit, observing the landscapes around them. He'd seemed much more at ease, all things considered, since leaving Skyhold for a while. The traveling seemed to be doing him some good. "We're not expecting any trouble from them, right?" he asked. From his tone, it was obvious he didn't think so, but Dalish clans did often differ on how they treated outsiders.
Khari made a noncommittal sound, but apparently decided that was insufficient as an answer. âNo. They're not friendly, but they're not hostile, either. They won'tâ"
Whatever she was going to say next was interrupted by the sound of something very much like an explosion. From the noise, it had happened somewhere in front of them. Khari immediately tensed, hooking her feet back into the stirrups. âHold on, Asala. We're gonna go a little faster now." She nudged her horse's flanks with her heels, goading him into a canter; Asala's horse followed suit with no input needed from her.
As they drew closer to the source of the noise, they could make out other sounds: people shouting, the occasional clang of metal. Clearly, someone was also using magic; a plume of smoke rose from behind the hill in front of them, the roar of fire intensifying in the way that only spells hadâall at once, in a burst that faded again soon after.
When they crested the hill, Khari let go of Asala's reins, drawing her sword from behind her. The scene was chaotic, for how few people it seemed to involve. A group of about ten men, rough-and-tumble looking, wielded maces, clubs, and swords against what seemed to be a pair of Dalish. One of the two was already heavily-injured, doubled over and pressing a hand to her side, unable to fire her bow.
The other was the source of the magic; he threw bright handfuls of fire at the oncoming humans, but he kept casting worried looks at the covered wagon behind them, as though hesitant to do anything with it so close to his targets.
âShit." Khari grimaced, quickly turning to Asala. âCan you shield that wagon? Zee, cover fire?"
âGotchaâ!â Zahra spurned her horse and broke away from their troupe. She was already unslinging the bow from her back in one smooth motion. For one who preferred the rocking decks of a ship, she appeared to be doing just fine, even as the horse jostled her in its saddle.
Asala nodded and looked down at the horse she sat upon. She hesitated, worried about what would happen once Khari let go of the reins. Feeling that she would be best suited on the ground than helplessly flailing around on a horse, she drew her staff from the saddlebags and pulled her foot out from one of the stirrups. However, her grace left something to be desired. As she went to dismount her other foot got caught and she fell forward. The horse was spooked by the sudden impact, but Asala was fortunate enough that she was able to swing her foot free before the horse began to leave.
She scrambled forward to take a hold of her staff and rose to her knees, driving the end into the ground. The staff lit up in a blue glow as a wide barrier materialized in front of both the wagon and the injured elf, but behind the magic wielding one so that his vision remained unimpeded. With the barrier erected, her offhand fell from the staff and took on a blue glow of its own. Though the barriers from that hand would not be as strong because of the other's strength, they would still prove useful in the right spots.
With the barrier erected, she rose to her feet and slowly began to advance toward the wagon, dividing her concentration there and the battle in front.
While Asala had taken a more practical route, conjuring a glistening shield that kept errant arrows at bay, Zahraâs technique was not so well thought out. Lady luck mustâve been on her side, because none of the arrows scored its mark. Her horse, however, did not seem to like being pushed so hard. Its hooves kicked up dirt and one arrow hissed close enough to spook it. She nearly took a tumble, but managed to unseat herself and roll neatly out of the way of its legs.
She came up as gracefully as she could manage and shook herself off. She was even quicker to scramble behind Asala and notch arrows, as they both approached the wagon. She loosed them into the line of grungy-looking individuals, not particularly careful with her aim until they reached it. Only then did she hunker down and squint her eyes, exhaling on each release. One arrow bit into a manâs exposed neckline, straight through a slit in his rusted gorget. For a moment, he didnât seem to be aware that he was dying. Hands clawed at the air, before he toppled over with one final wet gurgle.
Every other arrow was aimed at their knees, legs and arms, in order to incapacitate them enough to be finished off with gusto.
Khari didn't have anything remotely approaching a ranged combat option, but that was apparently just fine by her. She shot a glance at Estella and Romulus, jerking her chin down to where the gap was swiftly closing between what were obviously bandits and the two Dalish. âTrust me, those guys are bad news. Mind lending a hand?"
She didn't really wait for the answer so much as went for it anyway, letting go of her reins and squeezing her horse with her legs, guiding him down the hill at a charge, taking a doublehanded grip on her cleaver. By that point, the bandit group had noticed themâas had the Dalish. They didn't have much time to react, save that the cluster of men she was charging at tried to scatter. Doubtless, being trampled was not something they wanted to risk. But Khari adjusted her trajectory, and swung down at one of the men as she passed, the momentum of the horse's charge cleaving his head from his shoulders. She jerked with the impact, but kept her seat, steering for the next.
Estella's charge wasn't quite as direct, but she maneuvered her horse almost as well, pulling around to flank those that attempted to retreat. The height advantage of being mounted worked well in her favor; she felled another man with a broad slash to his chest. One tried to sneak up on her from behind, but one of Zahra's arrows swiftly prevented that from becoming a problem, and she was able to meet the next head-on.
On some cue that Asala could not see from where she was, Nox reared, his front hooves catching one of the other bandits in the temple. When the horse landed, he caved the man's ribcage in. Estella grimaced, but did not pause.
Romulus used his horse only for closing the distance, not really having any weapons on his person that were suited for mounted combat. He pulled his crossbow from where it was secured on his back and loosed the already loaded bolt, striking a bandit in the back of his neck. He would not die immediately, but he was removed from the fight, falling backwards and choking. Returning the crossbow, Romulus dismounted while Khari and Estella charged through them, following in their wake.
He was more than willing to capitalize on the opportunities from men getting out of the way of Khari's horse. One had to dive face first, and he was unable to get back up or even see Romulus coming before he'd plunged his dagger first deep into his side, then into his chest after he'd rolled the man over. An adrenaline-induced shout gave away one of the bandits coming to strike him, and Romulus was able to parry away the bandit's club with his shield. He slipped his dagger into the exposed ribcage, and elbowed him down. He searched warily for more threats, but the shock of their charge had easily scattered the bandits away from the Dalish.
No few of those scattered fell to the ground aflame, either, and in truth, their interruption turned things around extremely quickly. Without an overwhelming advantage of numbers, the bandits lost morale almost simultaneously. None of them seemed all that skilled to begin with.
It couldn't have been more than five minutes before all of them were dead or unconscious; only at that point did Khari swing down from her horse, pushing her hood down and stomping to the back of the covered wagon. âFucking Jackals, always after the same damn thing." There was, Asala was close enough to spot, a rusty-looking lock on the back of the wagon, holding its back doors shut. âHey! If you can hear me, move back in there!" Khari wasted no time in heaving her cleaver over her shoulder and slamming it into the wood. Like she'd split a log, the doors splintered and cracked; She reached into the hole she'd made and ripped away chunks of wood.
"K-Kharisanna? Is that reallyâ" The two Dalish had moved closer. The mage had his archer companion half-supported over his shoulders. She wore a wary expression, casting her eyes about at all of them as though she wasn't quite sure if they should still be fighting or not. His face, though, had quickly shifted into a look of clear surprise.
Khari seemed to ignore him, if she heard him at all. Her focus was on dismantling the doors, and it quickly became obvious why: the wagon contained living cargo. Three elves, two with the characteristic tattoos of the Dalish, and one without. All had been expertly gagged and trussed. âHelp me untie them, guys? Don't really want to cut ropes with Intercessor..."
âOf course." Estella moved forward immediately, but with a great deal of deliberate slowness, as though she were worried about startling the occupants of the wagon. Carefully, she drew her dagger. âI'm just going to get the ropes off, I promise." It didn't totally seem to assuage the evident fear the captives had, but the first offered up his arms for her help readily enough. She delicately slid the knife through the bindings, then repeated for the ones on his feet, allowing him to remove his own gag.
Romulus was quick to move to the back of the wagon after Estella, and also quick to wipe the blood from his dagger. He gave the two elves that had been fighting a respectful berth, watching them seemingly only to confirm that they were not also a threat. At the rear of the wagon, he seemed content to not add anything after Estella had assured them of their intentions, instead only slicing the bonds from the first prisoner willing to be freed by him.
While everyone else worked to free the elves, Asala approached the mage and the archer. "Um," Asala began trying to get their attention. She held a tight grip on the collar of her cloak, and now that two pairs of unfamiliar eyes were upon her, she slunk into her shoulders somewhat. Regardless, she continued, pointing toward the wound in her side, "Would you, uh, allow me to-to take a look at that?" she said gently. She wanted to immediately check the wound, but these were strangers, and any out-of-line movement would only put them more on edge.
It took the Dalish woman a second to realize that Asala was speaking to her specifically, it seemed. She frowned slightly, then shook her head. "That is not necessary." Her companion sighed, but did not attempt to convince her otherwise.
Her mouth worked for a moment, trying to come up with the words to suggest otherwise, but none would come. Instead, she sighed quietly and slowly reached into her pack and retrieved a vial containing a crimson liquid. She went to hand it to the mage this time, explaining, "It is a, uh, a potion. It will... stem the bleeding. At least." There was a certain plea in her voice this time. He accepted with a small nod, but his attention was clearly mostly elsewhere.
As Estella and Romulus worked on the elvesâ bindings, Zahra had trotted off to retrieve her snorting steed, busy kicking up grass and dirt a few paces ahead. When sheâd successfully berated the horse for tossing her off like a sack of potatoes, she returned with the horse in hand, reins held in a fist. Her eyes raked across the hills, even though theyâd clearly overtaken the bandits. She seemed apprehensive of approaching the caged elves, though she gave no indication why. She certainly wasnât surprised seeing living cargo, âJackals? That who they were?â
The three captives, once freed, worked themselves out of the wagon. Khari stood back to allow them to move past her at a respectable distance, flicking her eyes to Zahra for a moment. âBandit outfit. You can always tell them by the neckerchiefs." She pointed down at one of the corpses, which was indeed wearing a red square of fabric, folded in half and tied around his neck. âThey're nasty shits, and the only ones around here who traffic in skin. They like to load them up on boats and send them to Tevinter." She made a noise of disgust.
"Kharisanna." The Dalish man was more insistent this time, his use of her name more certain. As though with great reluctance, Khari turned her attention to him.
âWhat, Vareth?" Her tone could have peeled paint.
He didn't seem surprised by it, exactly. Vareth was dark haired and dark-eyed, somewhere around Estella's heightâbut he carried himself well enough that he looked a little taller. Vallaslin decorated his forehead and chin; the patterns were different from either Khari's or Lia's. "Youâ" He didn't quite seem to know what to say to her. "Everyone thought you wereâbut what happened?"
âI left." She stared flatly at him, clearly unwilling to explain any further than that. âYou should get these people back to the clan. I'm assuming that's why the scouts are in the woods."
"Theyâyes. We'd tracked the bandits for days, but... it wasn't safe to go past the woods, so when the trail went that way..."
Khari nodded tersely. An awkward silence descended. Despite her injunction, Vareth seemed hesitant to leave, and no one else appeared inclined to do anything without word from him.
âUm." Estella cleared her throat softly, smiling a bit too thinly for it to be wholly genuine. Still, she stepped a little closer to the locus of the conversation. âPardon me, serah... Vareth?" She paused a moment, then soldiered on. âWe actually came here in search of a chevalier. Perhaps you might have seen him around here somewhere?" Her eyes moved back and forth between the Dalish man and Khari.
Vareth's brow knit; he glanced at Estella. "Chevalier?" He grimaced. "Most of what's around here is bandits; they've been all over each other lately. Some kind of power struggle or other petty thing." His voice dripped with disdain. "The local chevaliers know to stay away from the forest, unlike the Jackals. But... yes. There was another who passed through the neutral area recently. But it was a woman. Tall, red hair. She had a group with her."
âWhich way did she go?" Khari reentered the conversation with considerably more urgency than before.
Another too-long silence; Vareth looked reluctant to respond. "You're still chasing those knights, after all this time?"
Khari crossed her arms over her chest. âStill chasing the dead, after all this time?"
He sighed, shoulders slumping. His companion adjusted herself a bit, clearly unhappy and making it obvious by glaring daggers at Khari. "She went east from here." The woman ignored Vareth's look of reproach, and pointed her free hand in the right direction.
âGreat. Let's go, everyone." Khari immediately reached for her horse, swinging herself up into the saddle.
"Kharisannaâ"
âDon't call me that." She scowled. âI'd ask you not to tell the Keeper, either, but we both know you will."
He didn't seem to have any response to that.
Romulus had a bit farther to walk before he could mount up, but he was moving as soon as Khari was, his dagger sheathed and head turned away from the elves. He seemed very much inclined to follow her lead, and her lead was to remove herself from the presence of these elves with haste.
Zahra had already swung herself back into her saddle, and joined Khari at her side. She made a low humming sound in the back of her throat and cocked her head to the side, eyebrows raised in questionâif the awkward conversation had bothered her at all⊠well, it probably didnât. She did, however, have her own questions about the matter. She spoke as if they were already out of Varethâs earshot, even though they werenât.
âLikely weâll be seeing them again? Because the tension is...â she let out a low whistle, and glanced over her shoulder. They still seemed rooted in place. As if simply staying their ground would arouse a less curt discussion from Khari.
âI damn well hope not."
Asala's gaze lingered on the Dalish for a moment before she too turned away, where she hesitated for a moment. She realized that after she'd freed herself from the saddle, she had no idea where the horse had gone. She looked one way, then the other before turning to her companions. "Um... Have any of you... seen my horse?" she asked, her face quickly turning a shade of scarlet.
Khari rode at the front of their little group, astride the sorrel horse Dennet had initially provided her. Romulus rode quietly beside her. Despite his injuries having almost entirely healed, he didn't look very comfortable atop the horse. Behind them, Asala rode at a close clip. Primarily because Khari held the reins to her horse. She still hadn't quite learned the basics of riding a horse yet, and mainly focused on gripping the saddle pommel to try and not fall off. Estella, perhaps the only other particularly experienced rider, had elected to take the rear guard position. Zahra rode slightly in the back, closer to Estella. If she was having any difficulties astride a horse, she was doing well to hide it. Gripping the reins in both hands, she seemed to busy herself by looking at their surroundings.
The stippled sunlight made the shadows in between the trees seem longer, deeper. A slightly-uneasy feeling hung over the place, almost like there were eyes on their backs, looking out from someplace Asala couldn't quite find. Every once in a while, Khari would turn her head sharply, glaring towards a different part of the wood, a frown slowly etching its way deeper into her face. But then her attention would turn forward again, a muttered something under her breath the only indication that it was more than mere watchfulness.
Though the weather was still mild in the part of Thedas they were in, Asala still clutched her cloak tightly. She felt that they were being watched, but could not figure out from where or from whom, no matter how intently she stared off into the trees. Perhaps it was simply paranoia, of being so far away from Skyhold in an unfamiliar land. Despite the reach of the Inquisition's influence, she herself had not ventured far into Orlesian land. Still, she couldn't quite buck the feeling that something was off.
"So, uh..." she began, if only to break the silence, Are we th-there yet?" she asked, though the answer truly didn't matter. She only wanted hear something that wasn't the crackle of leaves or brushing of tree limbs.
Khari shook her head in response, glancing back over her shoulder at Asala. âWe're close. Ser Durand doesn't usually cross into the forest, but this path will put us back out in the hills within another couple of miles." She sounded certain enough that she must have been personally familiar with the trail. Pushing a breath out of her nose, she spoke a little louder, probably so that her words would carry back to Estella and Zahra.
âDon't mind the prying eyes. They know as well as I do that this is nobody's land. I'm not even sure what they're doing hereâit's not like them to get this close to the edge of the woods." She shifted a bit in her saddle, dropping her feet out of the stirrups and rotating her ankles.
âYou mean the Dalish, right?" Estella spoke up from a few meters behind them. She also seemed to have the vague sense that people were around, but like Asala, it didn't appear that she could pinpoint anything specific. âIf... you don't mind me asking, would the clan or clans around here be yours?" The question was tentative; perhaps she anticipated it going over poorly.
âIt's usually only the one, this close to the Plains." Khari shifted her line of sight to peer deeper into the trees. âAnd yeah... that'd be the Genardalia. Mine, once." She shrugged; it wasn't really clear how she felt about that. The tone she used to discuss it was oddly uninflected, for her.
âWe could... I mean, if you wanted to see anyone, I don't think it would hurt to make a stop," Estella suggested, trying to follow the direction of Khari's eyes and evidently not finding anything. âJust, you know... a visit, or something."
Khari snorted, shaking her head emphatically. âThat's kind of you, Stel, really. But it wouldn't be some kind of warm, happy reunion. They probably think I'm deadâand honestly, it's better that way. I'm not exactly the pride of the clan, if you know what I mean." The trees around them began to thin, admitting more sunlight, and gradually, the feeling that they weren't quite alone started to fade.
While Zahra hadnât outright made any inflections on the creeping sensation of being watched⊠she did appear more at ease when the trees thinned out.
"They'll know you're not dead now," Romulus added, visibly relaxing a bit once they got clear of the thickest wooded areas. "Assuming we were being watched by someone that would recognize you." He paused for a bit, observing the landscapes around them. He'd seemed much more at ease, all things considered, since leaving Skyhold for a while. The traveling seemed to be doing him some good. "We're not expecting any trouble from them, right?" he asked. From his tone, it was obvious he didn't think so, but Dalish clans did often differ on how they treated outsiders.
Khari made a noncommittal sound, but apparently decided that was insufficient as an answer. âNo. They're not friendly, but they're not hostile, either. They won'tâ"
Whatever she was going to say next was interrupted by the sound of something very much like an explosion. From the noise, it had happened somewhere in front of them. Khari immediately tensed, hooking her feet back into the stirrups. âHold on, Asala. We're gonna go a little faster now." She nudged her horse's flanks with her heels, goading him into a canter; Asala's horse followed suit with no input needed from her.
As they drew closer to the source of the noise, they could make out other sounds: people shouting, the occasional clang of metal. Clearly, someone was also using magic; a plume of smoke rose from behind the hill in front of them, the roar of fire intensifying in the way that only spells hadâall at once, in a burst that faded again soon after.
When they crested the hill, Khari let go of Asala's reins, drawing her sword from behind her. The scene was chaotic, for how few people it seemed to involve. A group of about ten men, rough-and-tumble looking, wielded maces, clubs, and swords against what seemed to be a pair of Dalish. One of the two was already heavily-injured, doubled over and pressing a hand to her side, unable to fire her bow.
The other was the source of the magic; he threw bright handfuls of fire at the oncoming humans, but he kept casting worried looks at the covered wagon behind them, as though hesitant to do anything with it so close to his targets.
âShit." Khari grimaced, quickly turning to Asala. âCan you shield that wagon? Zee, cover fire?"
âGotchaâ!â Zahra spurned her horse and broke away from their troupe. She was already unslinging the bow from her back in one smooth motion. For one who preferred the rocking decks of a ship, she appeared to be doing just fine, even as the horse jostled her in its saddle.
Asala nodded and looked down at the horse she sat upon. She hesitated, worried about what would happen once Khari let go of the reins. Feeling that she would be best suited on the ground than helplessly flailing around on a horse, she drew her staff from the saddlebags and pulled her foot out from one of the stirrups. However, her grace left something to be desired. As she went to dismount her other foot got caught and she fell forward. The horse was spooked by the sudden impact, but Asala was fortunate enough that she was able to swing her foot free before the horse began to leave.
She scrambled forward to take a hold of her staff and rose to her knees, driving the end into the ground. The staff lit up in a blue glow as a wide barrier materialized in front of both the wagon and the injured elf, but behind the magic wielding one so that his vision remained unimpeded. With the barrier erected, her offhand fell from the staff and took on a blue glow of its own. Though the barriers from that hand would not be as strong because of the other's strength, they would still prove useful in the right spots.
With the barrier erected, she rose to her feet and slowly began to advance toward the wagon, dividing her concentration there and the battle in front.
While Asala had taken a more practical route, conjuring a glistening shield that kept errant arrows at bay, Zahraâs technique was not so well thought out. Lady luck mustâve been on her side, because none of the arrows scored its mark. Her horse, however, did not seem to like being pushed so hard. Its hooves kicked up dirt and one arrow hissed close enough to spook it. She nearly took a tumble, but managed to unseat herself and roll neatly out of the way of its legs.
She came up as gracefully as she could manage and shook herself off. She was even quicker to scramble behind Asala and notch arrows, as they both approached the wagon. She loosed them into the line of grungy-looking individuals, not particularly careful with her aim until they reached it. Only then did she hunker down and squint her eyes, exhaling on each release. One arrow bit into a manâs exposed neckline, straight through a slit in his rusted gorget. For a moment, he didnât seem to be aware that he was dying. Hands clawed at the air, before he toppled over with one final wet gurgle.
Every other arrow was aimed at their knees, legs and arms, in order to incapacitate them enough to be finished off with gusto.
Khari didn't have anything remotely approaching a ranged combat option, but that was apparently just fine by her. She shot a glance at Estella and Romulus, jerking her chin down to where the gap was swiftly closing between what were obviously bandits and the two Dalish. âTrust me, those guys are bad news. Mind lending a hand?"
She didn't really wait for the answer so much as went for it anyway, letting go of her reins and squeezing her horse with her legs, guiding him down the hill at a charge, taking a doublehanded grip on her cleaver. By that point, the bandit group had noticed themâas had the Dalish. They didn't have much time to react, save that the cluster of men she was charging at tried to scatter. Doubtless, being trampled was not something they wanted to risk. But Khari adjusted her trajectory, and swung down at one of the men as she passed, the momentum of the horse's charge cleaving his head from his shoulders. She jerked with the impact, but kept her seat, steering for the next.
Estella's charge wasn't quite as direct, but she maneuvered her horse almost as well, pulling around to flank those that attempted to retreat. The height advantage of being mounted worked well in her favor; she felled another man with a broad slash to his chest. One tried to sneak up on her from behind, but one of Zahra's arrows swiftly prevented that from becoming a problem, and she was able to meet the next head-on.
On some cue that Asala could not see from where she was, Nox reared, his front hooves catching one of the other bandits in the temple. When the horse landed, he caved the man's ribcage in. Estella grimaced, but did not pause.
Romulus used his horse only for closing the distance, not really having any weapons on his person that were suited for mounted combat. He pulled his crossbow from where it was secured on his back and loosed the already loaded bolt, striking a bandit in the back of his neck. He would not die immediately, but he was removed from the fight, falling backwards and choking. Returning the crossbow, Romulus dismounted while Khari and Estella charged through them, following in their wake.
He was more than willing to capitalize on the opportunities from men getting out of the way of Khari's horse. One had to dive face first, and he was unable to get back up or even see Romulus coming before he'd plunged his dagger first deep into his side, then into his chest after he'd rolled the man over. An adrenaline-induced shout gave away one of the bandits coming to strike him, and Romulus was able to parry away the bandit's club with his shield. He slipped his dagger into the exposed ribcage, and elbowed him down. He searched warily for more threats, but the shock of their charge had easily scattered the bandits away from the Dalish.
No few of those scattered fell to the ground aflame, either, and in truth, their interruption turned things around extremely quickly. Without an overwhelming advantage of numbers, the bandits lost morale almost simultaneously. None of them seemed all that skilled to begin with.
It couldn't have been more than five minutes before all of them were dead or unconscious; only at that point did Khari swing down from her horse, pushing her hood down and stomping to the back of the covered wagon. âFucking Jackals, always after the same damn thing." There was, Asala was close enough to spot, a rusty-looking lock on the back of the wagon, holding its back doors shut. âHey! If you can hear me, move back in there!" Khari wasted no time in heaving her cleaver over her shoulder and slamming it into the wood. Like she'd split a log, the doors splintered and cracked; She reached into the hole she'd made and ripped away chunks of wood.
"K-Kharisanna? Is that reallyâ" The two Dalish had moved closer. The mage had his archer companion half-supported over his shoulders. She wore a wary expression, casting her eyes about at all of them as though she wasn't quite sure if they should still be fighting or not. His face, though, had quickly shifted into a look of clear surprise.
Khari seemed to ignore him, if she heard him at all. Her focus was on dismantling the doors, and it quickly became obvious why: the wagon contained living cargo. Three elves, two with the characteristic tattoos of the Dalish, and one without. All had been expertly gagged and trussed. âHelp me untie them, guys? Don't really want to cut ropes with Intercessor..."
âOf course." Estella moved forward immediately, but with a great deal of deliberate slowness, as though she were worried about startling the occupants of the wagon. Carefully, she drew her dagger. âI'm just going to get the ropes off, I promise." It didn't totally seem to assuage the evident fear the captives had, but the first offered up his arms for her help readily enough. She delicately slid the knife through the bindings, then repeated for the ones on his feet, allowing him to remove his own gag.
Romulus was quick to move to the back of the wagon after Estella, and also quick to wipe the blood from his dagger. He gave the two elves that had been fighting a respectful berth, watching them seemingly only to confirm that they were not also a threat. At the rear of the wagon, he seemed content to not add anything after Estella had assured them of their intentions, instead only slicing the bonds from the first prisoner willing to be freed by him.
While everyone else worked to free the elves, Asala approached the mage and the archer. "Um," Asala began trying to get their attention. She held a tight grip on the collar of her cloak, and now that two pairs of unfamiliar eyes were upon her, she slunk into her shoulders somewhat. Regardless, she continued, pointing toward the wound in her side, "Would you, uh, allow me to-to take a look at that?" she said gently. She wanted to immediately check the wound, but these were strangers, and any out-of-line movement would only put them more on edge.
It took the Dalish woman a second to realize that Asala was speaking to her specifically, it seemed. She frowned slightly, then shook her head. "That is not necessary." Her companion sighed, but did not attempt to convince her otherwise.
Her mouth worked for a moment, trying to come up with the words to suggest otherwise, but none would come. Instead, she sighed quietly and slowly reached into her pack and retrieved a vial containing a crimson liquid. She went to hand it to the mage this time, explaining, "It is a, uh, a potion. It will... stem the bleeding. At least." There was a certain plea in her voice this time. He accepted with a small nod, but his attention was clearly mostly elsewhere.
As Estella and Romulus worked on the elvesâ bindings, Zahra had trotted off to retrieve her snorting steed, busy kicking up grass and dirt a few paces ahead. When sheâd successfully berated the horse for tossing her off like a sack of potatoes, she returned with the horse in hand, reins held in a fist. Her eyes raked across the hills, even though theyâd clearly overtaken the bandits. She seemed apprehensive of approaching the caged elves, though she gave no indication why. She certainly wasnât surprised seeing living cargo, âJackals? That who they were?â
The three captives, once freed, worked themselves out of the wagon. Khari stood back to allow them to move past her at a respectable distance, flicking her eyes to Zahra for a moment. âBandit outfit. You can always tell them by the neckerchiefs." She pointed down at one of the corpses, which was indeed wearing a red square of fabric, folded in half and tied around his neck. âThey're nasty shits, and the only ones around here who traffic in skin. They like to load them up on boats and send them to Tevinter." She made a noise of disgust.
"Kharisanna." The Dalish man was more insistent this time, his use of her name more certain. As though with great reluctance, Khari turned her attention to him.
âWhat, Vareth?" Her tone could have peeled paint.
He didn't seem surprised by it, exactly. Vareth was dark haired and dark-eyed, somewhere around Estella's heightâbut he carried himself well enough that he looked a little taller. Vallaslin decorated his forehead and chin; the patterns were different from either Khari's or Lia's. "Youâ" He didn't quite seem to know what to say to her. "Everyone thought you wereâbut what happened?"
âI left." She stared flatly at him, clearly unwilling to explain any further than that. âYou should get these people back to the clan. I'm assuming that's why the scouts are in the woods."
"Theyâyes. We'd tracked the bandits for days, but... it wasn't safe to go past the woods, so when the trail went that way..."
Khari nodded tersely. An awkward silence descended. Despite her injunction, Vareth seemed hesitant to leave, and no one else appeared inclined to do anything without word from him.
âUm." Estella cleared her throat softly, smiling a bit too thinly for it to be wholly genuine. Still, she stepped a little closer to the locus of the conversation. âPardon me, serah... Vareth?" She paused a moment, then soldiered on. âWe actually came here in search of a chevalier. Perhaps you might have seen him around here somewhere?" Her eyes moved back and forth between the Dalish man and Khari.
Vareth's brow knit; he glanced at Estella. "Chevalier?" He grimaced. "Most of what's around here is bandits; they've been all over each other lately. Some kind of power struggle or other petty thing." His voice dripped with disdain. "The local chevaliers know to stay away from the forest, unlike the Jackals. But... yes. There was another who passed through the neutral area recently. But it was a woman. Tall, red hair. She had a group with her."
âWhich way did she go?" Khari reentered the conversation with considerably more urgency than before.
Another too-long silence; Vareth looked reluctant to respond. "You're still chasing those knights, after all this time?"
Khari crossed her arms over her chest. âStill chasing the dead, after all this time?"
He sighed, shoulders slumping. His companion adjusted herself a bit, clearly unhappy and making it obvious by glaring daggers at Khari. "She went east from here." The woman ignored Vareth's look of reproach, and pointed her free hand in the right direction.
âGreat. Let's go, everyone." Khari immediately reached for her horse, swinging herself up into the saddle.
"Kharisannaâ"
âDon't call me that." She scowled. âI'd ask you not to tell the Keeper, either, but we both know you will."
He didn't seem to have any response to that.
Romulus had a bit farther to walk before he could mount up, but he was moving as soon as Khari was, his dagger sheathed and head turned away from the elves. He seemed very much inclined to follow her lead, and her lead was to remove herself from the presence of these elves with haste.
Zahra had already swung herself back into her saddle, and joined Khari at her side. She made a low humming sound in the back of her throat and cocked her head to the side, eyebrows raised in questionâif the awkward conversation had bothered her at all⊠well, it probably didnât. She did, however, have her own questions about the matter. She spoke as if they were already out of Varethâs earshot, even though they werenât.
âLikely weâll be seeing them again? Because the tension is...â she let out a low whistle, and glanced over her shoulder. They still seemed rooted in place. As if simply staying their ground would arouse a less curt discussion from Khari.
âI damn well hope not."
Asala's gaze lingered on the Dalish for a moment before she too turned away, where she hesitated for a moment. She realized that after she'd freed herself from the saddle, she had no idea where the horse had gone. She looked one way, then the other before turning to her companions. "Um... Have any of you... seen my horse?" she asked, her face quickly turning a shade of scarlet.