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Fragment of 'Dreams Where You Fall'
Fenris swore in Tevinter again, but he was hard on her heels when she raced to follow Anders. From the sound that echoed through the cloud, Varric waited only long enough to draw Bianca from his back.
"Baby," a woman slurred. "Baby, come to mother."
After that the woman let out a gurgling sob, sounding almost like a child. She was curled up, leaning theside of her head against a barrel. One armed reached out fitfully, hand open, fingers splayed.
She was beckoning a tiny body that lay facedown in a sticky pool of dark red.
Anders's hands started to glow blue-white. For an instant, Adder smelled growth and healing in the air, not corruption and death.
"Happy birthday, Carroll," the woman sobbed, but then the sob turned into an unstable giggle. "I gave her the best, exactly what she wanted. Something sharp and shiny!"
That was the moment the woman caught sight of Anders.
Adder saw the woman wobble to her feet. A heartbeat later, a knife flashed silver and red. She slung the staff down.
The woman flew back. Something skittered across the pavement. Varric stopped it with a boot.
"Kitchen knife," he said. "Bloodied. Crazy woman probably did turn the damn thing on her kid."
"She killed her own daughter?" Anders couldn't conceal the disgust in his tone.
Fenris went tense.
The woman started to giggle again. She sucked in a deep breath. It sounded thick and wet in her throat.
Adder threw a fist forward, sweeping the staff in a practised motion. Anders swung his staff at the same time. Lightning and ice both struck. She heard the hiss of steam, a sound like glass shattering.
Bone cracked.
The woman's body bounced along broken cobblestones. Her head struck the wall of a building. There was another crack. The woman's hand flopped, limply, as she finally came to a stop.
Varric knelt to inspect something else that glinted in the moonlight. He stood with a latch in his hands.
Anders was the one to close the barrel, this time.
Adder could only stare down at the pair of bodies. One bent and broken, the other tiny and torn.
"Fenris," she found herself asking, "will they all be like this?"
Fenris was silent a moment. "Most," he said at last. "A few may still be sane, but most are beyond saving."
He turned away, stepping carefully around dark and bright splotches on the streets.
Adder followed, trying not to look down.
They swept through the streets. The mist had cleared a little, with two barrells closed.
Anders turned in a circle, then closed his eyes. He swung his staff down, murmuring under his breath.
Fire blossomed in the air around him. It raced along the poison cloud, sparking
"Baby," a woman slurred. "Baby, come to mother."
After that the woman let out a gurgling sob, sounding almost like a child. She was curled up, leaning theside of her head against a barrel. One armed reached out fitfully, hand open, fingers splayed.
She was beckoning a tiny body that lay facedown in a sticky pool of dark red.
Anders's hands started to glow blue-white. For an instant, Adder smelled growth and healing in the air, not corruption and death.
"Happy birthday, Carroll," the woman sobbed, but then the sob turned into an unstable giggle. "I gave her the best, exactly what she wanted. Something sharp and shiny!"
That was the moment the woman caught sight of Anders.
Adder saw the woman wobble to her feet. A heartbeat later, a knife flashed silver and red. She slung the staff down.
The woman flew back. Something skittered across the pavement. Varric stopped it with a boot.
"Kitchen knife," he said. "Bloodied. Crazy woman probably did turn the damn thing on her kid."
"She killed her own daughter?" Anders couldn't conceal the disgust in his tone.
Fenris went tense.
The woman started to giggle again. She sucked in a deep breath. It sounded thick and wet in her throat.
Adder threw a fist forward, sweeping the staff in a practised motion. Anders swung his staff at the same time. Lightning and ice both struck. She heard the hiss of steam, a sound like glass shattering.
Bone cracked.
The woman's body bounced along broken cobblestones. Her head struck the wall of a building. There was another crack. The woman's hand flopped, limply, as she finally came to a stop.
Varric knelt to inspect something else that glinted in the moonlight. He stood with a latch in his hands.
Anders was the one to close the barrel, this time.
Adder could only stare down at the pair of bodies. One bent and broken, the other tiny and torn.
"Fenris," she found herself asking, "will they all be like this?"
Fenris was silent a moment. "Most," he said at last. "A few may still be sane, but most are beyond saving."
He turned away, stepping carefully around dark and bright splotches on the streets.
Adder followed, trying not to look down.
They swept through the streets. The mist had cleared a little, with two barrells closed.
Anders turned in a circle, then closed his eyes. He swung his staff down, murmuring under his breath.
Fire blossomed in the air around him. It raced along the poison cloud, sparking