Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Leandra Hawke ne Amell]

Leandra gapes for a long moment, then sniffs disdainfully. Not like I wasn't going to ask about anyhow, she tells herself as she stalks off to find her gossip buddies.

[Marian Hawke]

"Yes, ma'am." Marian smiles faintly, following her sister. Bethany's going to be okay. She's going to grow up to be a wonderful person. And I'm going to make sure she lives to see it. 

The next ten minutes go by in a blur as Mother Septim is quick to take advantage of having two good, well-trained pairs of hands to assist in the work.  Finally, those within their skill range seem to be helped, leaving the pair a moment to breath. It... it's disturbingly fast really- there aren't many people that made it to the church and more than a few of those that did are beyond help. Divine healing is limited and some of the people here are suffering from foul toxin that resist even that.

The scraps of information they can draw are limited. There was a summoning; nobody knows who, as the summoners are probably dead. Worse, the summoned demons are the kinds capable of summoning others, causing a chain reaction that's more than sufficient to wipe them out. This consecrated ground may be the only safe place left in Golden Shores.

(Marian tries not to think about the fact they haven't seen Varric all day). 

[Carver Amell]

As Leandra brings the girls some water -- and the latest news -- Carver rushes into the sanctuary at top speed. "Move!" he barks. "Demons at the gate!" 

A thunderous roar echoes fast on his words, just as Mother Septim gasps and stumbles. As the roar fades away, the holy woman moans in despair.

 "The blessings- they've-  we're lost."

[Leandra Hawke ne Amell]

"Nothing for it then," Leandra says bravely, though the hand holding the water pitcher trembles enough to spill water to the ground. Water droplets that freeze to frost almost instantly, though none notice it in the quickly forming panic. "We'll have to slip out the back and run for the woods. Pray we can get to Raplin's Oak without being..."

[Bethany]

"Right. Carver! Carver, we need you to lead us, you know the woods best," Bethany says firmly. Okay, okay. What would Varric say? What do you have. Carver is our woodsman, he can lead us. Done. Mother... dead weight. Well, her eyes are still good and so's her hearing, so I suppose she might notice danger. Marian and I... well, we have a scant handful of mostly useless spells. But Marian at least is a fair hand with a stave. Like... "Mar! Grab that banner and rip the rod free. Best we can do for a weapon for you. Carver in the front, then me, Mother and Mar, you're guarding our backs." She takes a slow, shuddering breath, one that's less settling than she'd hope. "If we stay together, we can do this."

[Carver Amell]

They get to the back door just in time to spy the demon coming through it; at first he appears to be a man seeking healing, broken and deformed, but he smells wrong to Carver, and he raises his bow just before a forked tongue flicks out of his lips. He looses the arrow, and they're in battle; no time to think, just fire over and over, Marian and Bethany providing support as Leandra cowers behind them.

The demon isn't stupid. He knows to go for the casters first. It's a split-second decision, based on almost nothing, but for whatever reason, he goes for Bethany first, snapping her leg like a twig in both hands to stop her casting another of those infuriating frost spells. 

He's dead a few seconds later, his throat torn out by Carver's bare hand after he instantly closes the fifteen feet between them. He snarls, baring fangs like a wolf pup, the only thought he can muster don't you ever touch my twin!

[Marian Hawke]

Marian has other things on her mind. She kneels, reaching into her pouch at her belt. Thank Varric, I can-- She doesn't have time to finish the thought before her hand touches damp, shattered glass. No. The potions... She shakes her head, holding out her hand. "Carver, your club."

He complies, and she splints Bethany's leg as best she can to the weapon, whispering soothing things to her to try and get her to calm down, to stop crying. "It's going to be okay. We're going to get out of this. You're safe. I'm safe. Everyone's safe. We're going to go to Nyra, remember? We're going to go to Nyra where nobody will think you're a freak ever again. I'm going to protect you, Bethany, I promised. And Carver's going to protect you. We're going to find Varric and we're all going to buy a big house together and live together and be safe and everything's going to be alright."

But it won't be alright. Marian hears the lie in her words even as she speaks them. Summer is dead, and Drake, and everyone else in the town. If they escape, with Bethany hurt this bad, it'll be a miracle. They don't have a cart to put her on, they're going to have to carry her or let her lean on them, and Carver's the only one with a shot of carrying her. They'll be moving slowly through demon-infested streets, across wilderness they don't know how to survive in. Her dream of Nyra is just that: a dream, already turning to ashes in her mouth.

[Carver Amell]

Carver scoops up Bethany in his arms, cradling her close, not caring if he gets demon blood on her clothing. Not caring about anything but her safety, and getting them out. The woods will be safer; he knows these woods, he's got caches tucked away and boltholes marked. Nobody can touch him in the woods, not even demons. If they can just get out of town, Bethany will be safe. 

The group start moving again, abandoning their pretense of stealth for pure speed. They've almost made it out of town when Carver stops them, sniffing at the air. (Leandra notes this, but it's the least strange thing she's had to deal with this hour, so she keeps it to herself). 

"Demons ahead. Smells like three of them, guarding the road." There was a stone wall to either side of the road at the chokepoint; it didn't surround the town, but it'd be a ways out to go around, inconveniencing people enough that a checkpoint could be established in times of hardship or war. (Or demons. There was a time you had to declare any magic you were carrying to enter Golden Shores, as they struggled to keep the place pure of demon summoners, but that security had since lapsed.)

There's nothing for it; Carver turns, intending to lead them around the wall. 

[Marian Hawke]

Marian places a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Wait," she says quietly. 

She can imagine them being ambushed, a demon leaping over the wall or coming out between two houses. She can see the strain in Carver's arms, the exhaustion, and she knows he can't carry Bethany all day, they're going to have to get out of town sooner than later. She knows Varric will have gotten himself out, but she doesn't know if he'll come back for them, not now or ever. And she knows Bethany will be the first to die if they get ambushed. 

She can't let Bethany die, not while she draws breath. 

Marian unties a pouch from her belt, presses it into Bethany's shivering hand. "Hold onto this," she says, her voice dead serious. "Don't let it go, not ever. Okay? This is safety. This is Nyra. You hold this all the way until you make camp tonight, then you can look. Alright? I need you to keep this safe for me."

[Bethany]

Blinking against the pain and the fatigue from her wound, Bethany tries to understand what Marian is saying. "What... where are you going?" Carver said... that he noticed demons. And that we had to... he's getting so tired, I need to... they should leave me. I'm going to get them all killed. I should... "No, you should... Carver, put me down. I can hide and... you can come back-"

[Marian Hawke]

"Promise me, Bethany. You have to live." She presses a kiss to Bethany's cheek, folding the girl's fingers around the pouch. 

[Carver Amell]

"Marian, what are you.." begins Carver, his eyes already filling with tears. 

[Marian Hawke]

"I'll distract them, lead them off. You can slip past when they're gone." Her voice is low, but there's no real way to prevent Bethany from hearing, not when she's sandwiched between the two. 

[Carver Amell]

But-- but you'll die! Carver doesn't want, can't want, can't bring himself to contemplate losing his sister -- but with Bethany trembling in his arms, struggling to remain lucid from a bad break, and so many miles to Nyra, and so many demons... Better Marian than Bethany, he thinks, and hates himself for thinking, and thinks anyway. 

[Leandra Hawke ne Amell]

"Marian," Leandra says, eyes wide. She swallows. I... I can't believe that... Was I wrong about her? Even if it's not for me, that the girl is willing to... "You're a good sister, Marian," she murmurs softly. "Astea welcome you home."