The Dalish Warden (The Daughters of Thedas Book 1)

57: Cleansing

Soundtrack:

Heart of the Forest ~ Inon Zur (Cleansing the Orphanage)

I had to do a double-take at seeing a single Templar in the Alienage but considering there had been Mages here, maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. Although I would have expected there to be more than one.

"Is someone there?" he called. I stopped, a bit surprised. He turned to us. He was clean-shaven, bald, and scarred. And blind. His eyes were clouded over almost like a sheer veil, his scars mostly around them. "Maker's blessing to you, child." He seemed to sense my surprise at seeing a blind Templar. "Be not afraid. I still have some sight to see you by."

"I'm Realin," I greeted.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Ser Otto." He inclined his head. "I am a Templar. I lost my sight in a battle with a powerful Maleficar. He called flame from the air and burned my face. My scars have faded much but my sight will never recover."

"I'm sorry." That was what humans said to each other when they suffered a loss or pain, wasn't it? I knew I still had a lot to learn about the human world.

"Don't be. Many of my brothers died in that battle."

"What's a Templar doing here, if I may ask?"

"We'd heard rumors that there's an enclave of Maleficarum hidden in the Alienage." I was sure he was still able to perform his duties, otherwise, the Chantry wouldn't have sent him.

"Have you found anything?"

"I have found no evidence of Maleficarum in the Alienage. However, there is something else. This place... it's scarred, like me. When I came here, I immediately could feel an air of... hopelessness, despair. But over time, I've felt the wrongness runs far deeper than that."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. But the feeling of wrongness never wanes and so I attempt to puzzle it out. I don't suppose I could impose on you?"

"Alright." Why not? I seemed to have a sign over my head that said "Ask me to do anything! I'm not busy!"

"It took patience but some Elves opened up to me and I've heard their sad tales. But I've found no real evidence to support my fears. Ears alone have done all they can. I was hoping you could be my eyes. Look around the Alienage for anything out of the ordinary."

"What should I look for?"

"I don't know. I have a feeling that there is something to be found, though. You seem capable. I have hope that you will find what I seek. Maker watch over you, child."

We'd gone out of earshot of Otto.

"So how do we find a needle in a haystack?" Morrigan asked.

"And what do we look for?" Alistair asked.

Tristan barked and ran off.

"Where are you going?" We jogged after him to an abandoned building. A feral dog growled at us.

"Now that's just unsanitary," Alistair said, referring to a dead dog that looked like it'd been there for a while. "Even for here."

Zevran sniffed the air. "What smells like dragon farts?" he asked.

"How would you know what a dragon fart smells like?" Alistair asked.

I gave him an odd look.

"I quit trying to figure them out a long time ago," Morrigan said. The smell of bad eggs was strongest when we stood near a pool of blood that looked fairly fresh.