lost & found

He pushed through the pain to reach up and scratch Fred behind her ears with his gauze wrapped arms. As the pain of the burns pushed through his body from how he’d fought and gripped so hard to keep that shred of this elven god within him he saw flashes of the man’s face as he was made fully corporeal. His stomach churned again with bile and he couldn’t help but glance up at the slab of stone behind him, wondering just what he’d released.

He didn’t have too much time to think about it, because soon he had familiar arms wrapped around him. Anders inhaled the smell of Lana’s soap, aware he probably still smelled like burnt flesh. He hid a wince of pain as he brought his arms up to wrap them around her.

It… is a long story. Let’s get out of the city and I’ll explain. I don’t want to be… I might not get arrested but I can’t fight if the wrong person finds me here.

He pulled away from her again and glanced back at the memorial. Thousands, tens of thousands of names, all blood on his hands. All because of him. He wondered if they included the mages that died when Meredith called wrath upon them for his actions. He could get closer. He could look. But he was rooted to the spot, almost as if he didn’t want to know the answer.

So, with a grit of his teeth in pain he reached for Fred and hooked his foot behind her wing, swinging himself up onto her back with difficulty, The coast is close and should be pretty quiet at this time of night. Not that we can’t take care of ourselves, huh? he tried to crack a smile but it didn’t even reach his face, looking more like a grimace.