The Dalish Warden (The Daughters of Thedas Book 1)

54: Escaping Fort Drakon

Soundtrack:

The Chosen Ones ~ (Unknown)

I slowly became aware of my surroundings again. I'd lost count of how many times I'd been in and out of consciousness. This time, I was laying on my back on cold stone. I heard screams of pain and I really hoped that they weren't from Alistair. I blinked several times before my eyes stayed open and focused. The back of my head was still aching from where I'd been hit the first time and my right knee had a dull, throbbing pain. Well, my whole body had a dull, throbbing pain, but my knee felt like it was the worst. I slowly sat up and saw I was in a cell. And in my smallclothes. I staggered to my feet and nearly went down again. I braced myself on the door, gritting my teeth from the pain in my right knee.

I heard a breath of relief behind me. "Oh, you're awake!"

I turned, relieved to see Alistair sitting against the wall not far from where I'd been laying. He was wearing pants, but no shirt and was holding his shield arm close to his chest. He was bruised and bloody and I wondered if I was as equally bruised and bloody.

He stood, wincing as he did so. "I was starting to worry they'd killed you."

I limped towards him, and he reached out with his sword arm to help me. "Are you alright? Where are we?" My memory of the last few... hours, maybe?... was very fuzzy. Perhaps for good reason.

"I've been worse," he shrugged. I actually doubted that. "I'll be better still when we get out of here. Here being Fort Drakon."

"Did Anora escape?"

"When the fighting started Wynne took off with Anora and Erlina. Zevran stayed behind and fought. One of them sucker punched you and they overwhelmed me a moment later. They let Zevran go and then brought you and me here."

"Well, I'm not going to wait around to be executed or for the others to try to break us out."

"I hope you have a plan."

At the moment, I had nothing that even looked remotely like a plan. I turned and went back to the door and studied the lock. It wasn't a complicated one, thankfully. "I can pick this," I said.

"With what? Your nails? They took all of our equipment when they threw us in here."

I only smiled and reached under my hair. At the base of my skull, I had a small braid. Tucked into this braid was a pair of simple lock picking tools. I knew Cauthrien and her lackeys wouldn't think to completely search me. Who else would keep lock picks at the base of their skull? I pulled them free and held them up for Alistair to see.

He shook his head and smiled. "I should have known," he said.

"Keep a watch out for the guards." It took me several minutes of picking before the lock clicked open.

"Is that a Dalish thing? Lock picking? I thought only pickpockets had lock picks."

I returned the tools to their hiding spot. "No, just a skill Tamlen taught me. Thought the ability would prove useful someday. You know, in case we came across a locked chest in some Elven ruin. Never really thought I'd be using the skill to break out of prison."

"And that it has. I guess the Dalish wouldn't be around prisons, huh?"

I shook my head. "Let's get out of here."

"Are you going to run around Fort Drakon in your smallclothes? And may I remind you that your knee is twice the size it should be and you're limping and I have a broken wrist."