The Dalish Warden (The Daughters of Thedas Book 1)

43: The Anvil of the Void

I was beginning to wonder if we would ever find Branka. We had gone through more tunnels and I was starting to lose track of time. How long had we been down here? Weeks? Months? Maybe it was the stifling air of the underground. I would be glad to taste fresh air again. We exited the tunnel and into a larger room. Once we passed through the entrance and were several paces in, a loud slam sounded behind us. We spun around to see a large metal door had slammed shut, blocking our exit.

A woman suddenly appeared on a ledge above us. "Let me be blunt with you," she said. "After all this time, my tolerance for social graces is fairly limited. That doesn't bother you, I hope."

"Shave my back and call me an Elf!" I gave him a look. Really? "Branka? By the Stone, I barely recognized you!"

She didn't seem as happy to see him as he was to see her. "Oghren. It figures you'd eventually find your way here. Hopefully, you can find your way back more easily." She turned her attention to me. "And how shall I address you? Hired sword of the latest lordling to come looking for me? Or just the only one who didn't mind Oghren's ale-breath?"

"Be respectful, woman! You're talking to a Grey Warden!"

That didn't impress Branka. "Ah, so an important errand girl, then. I suppose something serious happened. Is Endrin dead? That seems most likely. He was on the old and wheezy side."

This was supposed to be a great Paragon? I wasn't impressed at all. "His heir, Bhelen, seeks your support to become king."

"Hmm. Bhelen, is it? Twisted cretin, the last I heard. Not surprising he's done so well for himself. I don't care if the Assembly puts a drunken monkey on the throne. Because our protector, our great invention, the thing that once made our armies the envy of the world, is lost to the very Darkspawn it should be fighting. The Anvil of the Void. The means by which the Ancients forged their army of golems and held off the first Archdemon ever to rise. It's here. So close I can taste it."

"Bhelen would change things. Move Orzammar forward." I hoped he would, at least.

"A thousand Bhelens could die and history wouldn't notice. I'm looking for the one thing that will return our days of glory. The Anvil lays on the other side of a gauntlet of traps designed by Caridin himself. My people and I have given body and soul to unlocking its secrets." That was an understatement. "This is what's important. This has lasting meaning. If I succeed, the Dwarves people benefit. Kings, politics... all that is transitory. I've given up everything and would sacrifice anything to get to the Anvil of the Void."

"Obviously," Leliana muttered.

"Does that include Hespith and the others of your house?" Hespith had been right. She was obsessed.

"Enough questions! If you wish me to get involved in this imbecilic election, I must first have the Anvil. There is only one way out, Warden. Forward. Through Caridin's maze and out to where the Anvil awaits."

"What has this place done to you!?" Oghren cried. "I remember marrying a girl you could talk to for one minute and see her brilliance."

"I am your Paragon." She turned away and disappeared.

With the way back blocked, we had no choice but to move forward. We followed the path to a room filled with a green gas and a few golems. I peeked in the room and saw, from the angle I was standing at, two levers on either side of the room. My guess was they were for the gas valves.

"Cover me."

I took a deep breath and darted into the room towards one lever. One of the golems came to life and turned towards me as I reached the lever. I heard steel against stone and knew someone had followed me in. I shut off the valve and turned to see a second one. I ran over and closed the second valve. Now only half the room was filled with the gas. I ran across to the other two levers. I pulled the first lever. My lungs were burning by the time I reached the last lever. Trust me, running while holding your breath, not the best tactic in the world. After the gas cleared, I exhaled and gasped for breath. But only for a moment before I ran headlong into the battle. We defeated the golems. We left the room and continued down a hall to the next room. I disengaged a blade trap, which awoke two golems. After they fell, I disengaged a second blade trap and we were set upon by two more. We defeated them just as easily. Down another hall and to another trap where we had to fight spirits. Which wasn't as easy, but we discovered hitting the nearby anvils dispersed them.