Tabris - Chapter 15

Chapter 15 : An Empty Grave



There was no time to give Niall a proper burial, a proper eulogy either. Leliana spoke a few words about the Maker as they hurried out of the chamber, the pungent odor of the pile of dead staying behind as well. It was sad that Niall had to remain in that pile when he deserved so much better. He wasn't just a nameless dead body and leaving him with all the others just felt wrong. However, Fallon decided that destroying Uldred was all Niall really wanted. They would worry about declaring him a hero afterwards. She'd make the request personally to Gregoir when this was all over.

The entrance to the next floor was only a few feet down the hall, blocked by a heavy door painted black. It took two people to wrench the thing open and once they entered the stairwell it slammed behind them with a mighty bang. The air inside the passageway was cold and stale. It smelled of mold and mildew, or the Alienage, as Fallon thought of it. The scent was familiar and comforting to her, everyone else scoffed and snorted as their nostrils were affronted with the stench. They ascended the stairs, enshrouded in darkness, with only the sounds of their own heavy breathing to echo in their ears. One hundred steps upward they climbed, completely insulated from the Circle's dangers for a moment, but all too afraid to speak and break whatever spell hovered over them. A faint glowing outline of the next door could just be made out as they climbed, growing larger as they neared it. The door was accompanied by an astringent smell, which over-powered the mold, and their shoes began sticking to the floor.

"We must be careful up here. This is where the senior mages research magic and complete experiments. It is the most dangerous floor in the Circle." Wynne whispered as Fallon cautiously twisted the door handle and walked into a seemingly innocent room. There was the soft pink corruption that dotted the lower floors, but other than that the room was undisturbed, cluttered with potion bottles but empty. Fallon waved them all in.

It took only a few seconds for a trap to be set off. Fallon hadn't noticed a wax rune marked onto the floor until she stepped on it. Suddenly a blue light etched its way across the wax, releasing a wave of energy and freezing Fallon's muscles. She attempted to say something but found her jaw immobile. She attempted to move but her arms were frozen at her side. Dawson pranced around the rune, barking incessantly at her captivity and attempting to dig her out. This was the moment an abomination decided to attack. It had been crouched behind one of the cluttered tables in the corner and jumped up so quickly that it knocked potions onto the stone floor. The glass shattered and odd colored liquid began pooling on the ground, mixing into bright shades and beautiful patterns.

"Don't get anything on your skin!" Wynne demanded as Zetheria sent lightning coursing through the monster's body. Morrigan hesitated and turned toward Fallon, but Wynne shook her head. "She isn't being injured. Get rid of the abomination first!" The immobile Grey Warden tried to nod, attempting to tell Morrigan it was fine, but still found herself stuck. She groaned in frustration at her uselessness, or would have, if her vocal cords had been allowed to vibrate properly.

The team of fighters went to deal with the abomination as the elf warden stood contained in an invisible prison. It was a frightening feeling, being confined in such a way, but Fallon tried to slow her pounding heart, calm with the knowledge that Wynne didn't think it was dangerous. Her eyes open, all she could do was watch the ensuing battle.

Fallon watched helplessly as Leliana tripped during her attempt to stab the oncoming monster with a dagger. The bard fell gracefully, but she still fell, her soft pink skin meeting briefly with the amalgamation of potions on the floor. Her forearm touched just the very corner of the puddle, barely wetting her skin. Yet the smallest drop caused her to shriek in pain, unable to pay attention to the monster approaching. The beast seemed intent on killing her, a fact that Leliana was oblivious to. Luckily, before it got close enough to land a deadly blow, Morrigan had disposed of it. First freezing the abomination, then shattering it into a million pieces. Leliana didn't even look up from her screaming.

The Glyph wore off and Fallon was released from her prison. She gave Dawson a reassuring pat that she was fine before dashing over to the redhead, who was already being attended to by Wynne. The yelling had not ceased and Fallon found her companions looking uneasily down the hallway, afraid of what might now be headed their way.

"What's wrong with her?" Zetheria asked uneasily, while everyone stared at the greenish black mottled skin on Leliana's arm. Whatever the potion was, it was spreading and getting worse.

"I'm not sure what this is. It could be a result of two potions mixing together, or it could be some poison a new Enchanter decided to concoct. Unfortunately, I'm not up here much and I'm not quite positive that I know how to cure it." Wynne explained to the group, using a loud voice to drown out Leliana's yelling. The red head's eyes were slightly clouded and she wasn't looking at them, her head lolled back against the old mage's arm, mouth wide.

" 'Twould render me amazed to discover something you were certain about." Morrigan grimaced at Wynne, who frowned back.

"However… I think I might be able to lessen her symptoms, but the only person experienced enough to cure her is either the creator of the poison or Irving."

"One more reason to make certain we get to him in time. Do you think she'll survive?" Fallon was just starting to really like the crazy prophet. She'd hate to see her join the Maker before her part of the story was truly finished.

"I'm not completely certain…" Wynne began, words interrupted by a sarcastic snort from Morrigan. She continued. "… but I will try to keep her alive as long as I can." Wynne turned back to the howling Leliana, laying her hands above the wound but not quite touching it. Wispy glowing fog streamed from the mage's fingertips into the bard's infected forearm. The greenish hue ceased, but the screaming continued.

"This doesn't look like a simple potion. She looks like she's being tormented to me. Has anyone seen magic like this before?" Fallon asked to all the magic users present. The two Circle mages shook their heads, but Morrigan nodded.

"Horror, a spell my mother enjoyed using on any Templars that entered the Wilds. Made them see hideous things, or so I assume. I would guess that is what afflicts the Chantry Sister."

"Could a spell be liquefied and bottled? Is it possible that it is something like that spell?" Fallon asked Wynne, gesturing to Morrigan beside her.

"I guess it is … possible… but highly unlikely."

"You said yourself they were experimenting here, perhaps they were looking for a way to give non-magical soldiers some magical help. If it can work with our health potions, why not some sort of magic bomb?"

"But you are misunderstanding, the health poultices aren't necessarily magical, and those that are have magic plant components, not liquid spells …."

"We need to stop her screaming and since it's the only explanation I have, I'm going to act on it. Zetheria, grab me a health potion. Alistair, I need you to neutralize the magic around Leliana."

"My magic is keeping her alive, you remove it and the poison will affect her again."

"Wynne give this a chance. I have no other plan on how to stop the yelling and we can't take her through the Tower like this. We'll give her the poultice the minute Alistair is through but otherwise I'm out of ideas. Do you have any you'd like to share?" Dawson barked at Fallon's question, which almost made her smile. "I'm sorry, boy, I don't understand mabari." He wagged his tail in response. Wynne looked at the elf grimly but nodded, still supporting the poisoned rogue's head.

Alistair approached quickly, placed his fingers on Leliana's soft white skin and closed his eyes in concentration. Fallon wondered what it would feel like to be a Templar, and if there powers were even comparable to those of mages. She had her taste of magic and it was addictive. Perhaps when this was through, she could ask Alistair to teach her some Templar tricks, fill the void her shapeshifting powers had left behind. As Fallon pondered this idea, the screaming ceased, and her heart leapt into her throat. The jarring and sudden silence were side effects of two things, success or death, she hoped it was the former.

"She's still breathing… and her eyes aren't quite as clouded." Alistair murmured as he removed his gauntlets and checked Leliana's vital signs. Fallon let out a sigh of relief as Zetheria stepped forward to give the woman a health poultice. The bright red liquid splashed slightly on her lips before making its way into her mouth. Leliana didn't choke, so she seemed to still understand the concept of swallowing. "We need to find a way to carry her."

"Whose brilliant idea was it to leave Sten behind, again?" Fallon muttered to herself in frustration, pacing slightly in an attempt to stumble across an idea. "Someone help me over here, we'll pry the legs off these tables and use it as a litter." Fallon and Morrigan flipped the table over with ease but removing the legs was more difficult. They worked together, wrenching it back and forth, and when that didn't work, tried kicking it. The table leg splintered with incredible force, shards of wood flying high into the air. Their attempts were interrupted when the poisoned bard spoke.

"I can walk… I'll just need some help." Leliana whimpered softly as she started to regain consciousness. She got to her feet slowly and had a slight wobble to her gait when she attempted to make a step. "That was … a powerful spell." She added with a smile. Dawson moved himself beside her, allowing the woman to steady herself with a hand on his back.

"Are you well enough to fight?" Fallon had abandoned the overturned lopsided table thankful that she wouldn't have to pull off any more legs. Somehow a sliver had figured out a way through her chainmail and it insisted on remaining in her skin. Leliana nodded before replying.

"It takes a lot more to stop me. Let's get moving."


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Wynne had been right in warning them of the dangers on this level. Under normal circumstances, when the mages had everything supervised and easily contained if an experiment went wrong, it would have only been hazardous to venture here. Now every step was life-threatening. They had to search carefully for concealed traps, potions, glyphs that had been left behind, and all manner of creatures that the mages had brought to test their spells on. In one room they came across a bear that was thankfully still caged. Added to all this, were the demons, blood mages, and abominations that still stalked the halls, leaping out during the most inconvenient moments.

After fighting for what felt like hours, Fallon found herself and Alistair covered in the blood of their enemies. She felt sad for the lives lost today, the mages who had resorted to blood magic to earn their freedom. Zetheria was one of them and if Fallon hadn't known who she was then her blood would be mixed in with the others upon her skin.

Besides the terrible guilt the sight of the blood brought her, it also gave her bad memories. She hadn't asked the guards in Vaughan's castle if they supported the man or if they were just doing their jobs, attempting to make some money for their families. Perhaps, she could have found an ally in a few of them if she hadn't brutally slaughtered everyone in her path. She'd been so focused on her own family she forgot about theirs. How many children were now fatherless because of her? However, Nelaros' ring still remained on her finger and it was only there because those guards had killed him. They had been protecting the man who raped Shianni. She would have to remind herself of that to avoid spiraling into oppressing waves of guilt; for now, ignoring it was best.

"You've got a few drops on your cheek. Here let me get it." Alistair broke her from her toxic thoughts. He approached gloveless, wiping the red drops from her face. He smiled at her when he finished. He had such a nice smile, it warmed Fallon's heart just looking at it. "Much better. Now you don't look like such an abomination yourself." He laughed maniacally and Fallon joined him in it, letting out a brief sigh at the end.

"Oh Alistair… way to ruin a moment." She started to walk away, trying her best to sashay the way Morrigan often did.

"Wait… that was a moment? Come back… I'll fix it…" He sputtered after her, smiling as he followed. She turned around to look at him, attempting to look disinterested.

"Oh no, it's quite ruined now." She was going to tease him further but her rant was interrupted as she walked head long into a scaly surface.

Fallon pushed herself off it, looking up to see a scaly head attached to the surface. It smiled a beastly smile at her, exposing its deadly weapons. Long jagged teeth snapped in her direction, halting an inch before her face. It took Fallon half a moment to remember how to breathe, still she grabbed Fang and her other sword from her back and stabbed at the thick skinned creature. It didn't penetrate very deeply, but distracted the monster for a moment so Fallon could take a step back.

"Is that a…"

"Yes, I believe that is a dragon." Alistair said as he unsheathed his sword.

"Where are its wings?"

"I don't think the males have wings."

"But the archdemon is male isn't it?"

"I don't make the rules, Fallon. I just kill the monsters and look pretty."

This dragon, if it was in fact a dragon, wasn't as big as the one she'd dreamed about earlier. It rose only a few heads taller than Alistair. Its scales were thick and charcoal colored. The creature swung at them with its front claw, but they dodged to the side. Fallon turned around and yelled for her companions to hurry up. The claw swung again, sticking into her leather but not penetrating her skin. She used the opportunity to stab the dragon between its wrist bones, cutting several tendons and important muscles. It yelled in pain and Fallon felt sorry for it. The creature was probably just as frightened as they were, but it was dangerous and they couldn't let it continue living.

It stumbled, unable to put any weight on the front foot, and collapsed onto the ground, shooting out a stream of smoke from its nostrils as it did. Alistair and Fallon briskly ran forward, they arranged themselves on one side of its neck, and before it had a chance to recover, they thrust their swords into its head in unison. Remorse panged in Fallon's gut once more, but at least they put the creature out of its misery.

"What's all this?" Zetheria asked breathlessly as she came jogging into the room. "Did you just kill a Drake?" Fallon looked at the white haired mage with severe irritation.

"Yes we did. Where were you? We called for your help several minutes ago."

"Leliana fell again. She's getting worse."

"Then we'd better get to Irving and find whatever miracle cure he has."

"We're getting close."

"Good. I want to put this whole thing behind me as quickly as I can." Fallon moved toward a table near the dead Drake. It was littered with potions and magical metal instruments that were foreign to the city elf. She perused them carefully without touching and waited for her companions to catch up. Alistair stood beside her, looking down at the dead dragon at his feet. From the corner of her eye, Fallon noticed Zee shift uncomfortably, as though she had something plaguing her mind.

"I need to speak with you about that…. About after we defeat Uldred." Zetheria walked up to the two Wardens, determination in her eyes. "I will be attempting to escape the Templars."

"You promised to submit to the Templars when Fallon spared your life. That was part of the deal." Alistair's voice was hostile. He wasn't a templar any longer, but some of the training stuck, and Fallon could tell he just didn't trust apostates. Worse still, Zetheria was an admitted blood mage. That was like throwing mead onto a campfire, eventually the glass would break and the flames would explode upwards. Fallon hoped to temper this in Alistair, or at least delay it.

"We should listen to what she has to say. She wouldn't take us aside just to break her oath, I'm sure there is more to this." Fallon added, knowing full well there wasn't much more to it. Zetheria had already promised to escape once before and her friend still wasn't sure what to do if that happened.

"I have learned blood magic so, should you turn me over to the Templars, they will kill me. I have already proven several times over that I am pure of heart, if somewhat naïve and misguided in the past. There is only one way out of this tower. A friend of mine showed me it once before he escaped, but it is in the Harrowing Chamber and very difficult to open. Instead of resorting to skulking off I would request that you make me a Grey Warden so I might leave these walls with the two of you." Zetheria let out a large sigh after she finished her speech, a heavy weight lifted off her chest.

"We don't know how to make any more Grey Wardens, besides I doubt very strongly you'd be willing to run from one restricting order to another. You don't get to do what you want, or be what you want as a Grey Warden. It is about defeating the Blight and that is all. I'm sorry but I doubt you would be a good fit." Alistair finished saying, anger still in his words at her impending escape, but his eyes had softened dramatically.

"I think it is noble that you wished to join us, but I must agree with Alistair. You are too wild-hearted to be chained by the Wardens demands." Fallon added, trying to ease Zee's heart by giving her a tender smile. The blood mage simply brooded at them for a moment, looking at both of their faces for several seconds before speaking again. She leaned against the far wall.

"I used to believe in the Maker. I listened to sermons in the Alienage square and believed the same as my parents, but when I developed this gift…. I…. I just knew it wasn't the curse the Chantry spoke of. Then I came here and I felt lost until I found books about the Creators. Those that believe in the Creators don't treat their mages like monsters. They give them positions of power and their culture doesn't turn into the Tevinter Imperium… I just feel that perhaps I was born in the wrong place, the wrong time. I would have been much better off born a Dalish. If you won't let me join you, then let me join them. They can still teach me magic, but I'll be allowed to experience the world outside these walls... " Fallon nearly laughed at the final statement but she held it in and instead offer an incredulous comment.

"Dalish? The Dalish aren't real." Immediately, Fallon regretted this. Both Alistair and Zetheria gave her a strange look.

"Of course Dalish are real. There are constantly complaints about them made by the villages near the Brecillian Forest. How did you not know about them?" Alistair asked her, completely distracted from Zetheria's request. The Warden immediately felt betrayal. Her entire life she had been led to believe the Dalish were myth. She had contemplated escaping to find them when faced with the option to marry, but she didn't know if she would ever find them. The humans sought to control their elf neighbors in so many ways, Fallon was almost afraid to discover what else she had been lied to about.

Fallon almost attempted to answer Alistair's question, but was thankfully rescued from this painful task by the appearance of her other companions. Wynne and Morrigan were now forced to support the injured Leliana, who was again looking quite pale. Fallon grabbed another health potion from her backpack and gave it to the Sister, who drank it quickly.

"I fear the potions and spells won't work forever. We need a permanent cure. We need Irving." Wynne whispered hurriedly to Fallon as Leliana finished the potions contents.

"Then let us go get him."


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At the foot of the stairs sat a templar, blood on his cheek and fear in his eyes. He was surrounded by others who had not been lucky enough to survive this long. The man had dark circles under his eyes and spoke as the group approached.

"Leave me demons! I will not be fooled by your treachery. I will not succumb to any of your tricks. Begone." Fallon and Alistair exchanged a look, but before they had a moment to speak, Zetheria stepped forward.

"Oh Cullen. What have they done to you?"

"These visions don't evaporate. Then you must be real."

"We are real. What are they doing to you Cullen?" Z attempted to get closer, but an invisible barrier prevented this. Instead she knelt upon the ground, looking kindly at the Templar.

"Uldred and his followers brought me here. They tortured us. Tortured the other mages. Then they took them into the Harrowing Chamber."

"Was Irving with them?" Wynne's voiced was filled with concern.

"I think so. It's so hard to remember. The noises that have been coming out of the Chamber… for days… no one could survive that."

"You survived Cullen." Fallon added, addressing the injured templar.

" I'm the only one. You have to kill them, no matter what they say, I know they're abominations now."

"Cullen! That's a horrible thing to suggest."

"Is it Zetheria? It's a kindness after what those people have been through. Kill them all, a single abomination cannot be allowed to live." Zetheria backed away from the magic barrier, and shot Fallon a glance that promised death if the warden took his advice. Fallon ignored the look, instead continued talking to Cullen.

"Sparing one abomination is better than killing one innocent."

"Are you jesting? Have you seen what happened here? That's idiotic."

"No Cullen, it's the right thing. You are just confused because of the torture you've gone through."

"I am not confused!" The templar bellowed, beating his fists on the magical barrier. Fallon turned away from him.

"Leliana, I need you to stay here, keep an eye on the door and keep any more monsters from getting past this point." Leliana smiled in her weakened state, hobbled over to the doorway, and leaned against it.

"I'll be sure to keep the hordes at bay." The Chantry sister said as she slid down the door frame, landing with a thud in a sitting position.

"I need Dawson and Morrigan to stay and watch he…"

"Have I not proven myself useful many times over? Why leave me to watch the sickly archer? One of the Circle mages would be a better choice for this." Morrigan interrupted, arms crossed and thoroughly dejected. Dawson barked happily and walked over to the injured Sister.

"I need one of them to recite the litany of Adralla when we need it." She pulled Morrigan to the side. "And I also need someone that I can trust here to keep an eye on that Templar. I don't trust him at all." Morrigan sighed loudly.

"As you wish."

"The rest of you come with me. We don't have much time."

"You're kindness will doom us all. Mark my words." Cullen called out ominously, his voice echoing in his cylindrical prison. Fallon ignored him, and walked toward the stairs to the Harrowing Chamber. Alistair and Wynne took up the rear, with Zetheria directly beside the Warden Commander. Fallon whispered to her.

"This Cullen… a friend of yours?"

"A kindly captor. He had a misguided infatuation with me."

"Did you return these affections?" Z scoffed behind her.

"That's like asking a slave if she has feelings for her master. You can't love someone who keeps you in chains."


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Uldred looked as though nothing had changed since Ostagar. The man who had told Fallon of the elf rebellions was even wearing the same robes, though they bore some slight singe marks. His face still bore the same stern and irritated expression, even as the man he tortured screamed in pain. The mage never flinched; he just methodically went about his work.

"Stop!" Fallon called out as they walked into the room. Uldred was surrounded by a group of Abominations, and in the corner sat twenty-five or so mages. Some only bore cuts, others were very badly maimed and lying in pools of blood. The entire room smelled horrendous, Fallon wished she could cover her nose to hide from it. Uldred and his abomination looked up from their grisly work.

"I recognize that robe. That is Almaya. She wildly opposed Uldred." Wynne was gesturing toward the disfigured abomination to the left. "He's torturing these people so they will allow demons to possess them. He is creating abominations."

"Not anymore he's not." Fallon drew her swords.

"Ah, so I see…" Uldred started to speak but his works were cut off as the Warden Commander thrust a sword through his belly. The enchanter stumbled and fell when Fallon withdrew the sword. Instead of blood or innards falling out there was a quiet hissing noise, followed by a black tar substance seeping from the wound. "Did you think it would be that easy to kill me?" Uldred asked, a deep voice layered beneath his own. His eyes glowed with unnatural intensity.

" He's an abomination! Fallon get out of th…" Wynne started to call out, but before the elf could register her words a great gust of magic blew her off her feet. The force landed squarely in her chest, knocking the wind from her lungs. Before her, Uldred's skin split open and the black tar pour from every orifice. It covered his body, piling ontop of itself, until a new form began to take shape. A monstrously tall creature with too many eyes took the place of the mousy bald mage. It cackled as it looked upon the foursome. Then it struck. Fallon ran.

With the creature's eyes only for the elf, they were at an advantage. Wynne read the Litany of Adralla, while Alistair and Zetheria protected her from the approaching abominations. Meanwhile Fallon perfect the art of evasion as Uldred stomped after her. Twice she messed up, once stubbing a toe on an outcropping rock and another time tripping over a corpse, but Fallon was able to recover from these brief errors, using the latter one to her advantage, slashing Uldred as he turned.

Run, wait, turn, slash. The process repeated itself through the entire battle. With the others preoccupied there was no one for Fallon to turn to, so she had to face the monster on her own. That meant slowly wearing him down. But while Uldred was graced with otherworldly stamina, Fallon wasn't, and she was spiraling into exhaustion. Adrenaline could only carry a woman so far. She needed to finish this fight quickly.

Uldred's hard black plating was difficult to get past. It was thick in most parts like the shell of a turtle, but there was the occasional weak spot. Fallon had found one such spot near his ribs, close to the monster's heart. If she didn't time the thrust perfectly, then Uldred would be able to grab and crush her with ease.

She slowed her pace slightly, back still to the approaching monster, took a deep breath and turned. Adaia had taught her how to maneuver quite well, she dodged as Uldred attempted to knock her back, rolled away from a stomp he aimed at her head, and thrust both swords into his side. It should have been an easy kill but Fallon hadn't calculated correctly. Both swords were caught on Uldred's rib cage. She had only one chance, now Uldred would crush her for sure.

Just as his arm started to swing back, the creature screamed, arm swinging away from Fallon and toward a new enemy. Zetheria. The white-haired mage stood in front of the monster, wrists slit and blood coursing from the wound. As Fallon watched the blood boiled upon the ground around Uldred's feet. He screamed once more.

The distraction was all Fallon needed. The elf pulled the swords from his side and thrust them in once more, this time past the ribs and into his heart. Uldred instantly stopped screaming and fell into puddle of Zetheria's blood.

"That's three times I've saved your life." The mage's voice was startlingly close, Fallon turned to find her wrapping her wounds. Alistair and Wynne were busy slaying the last Abomination. "Is it enough to earn my freedom?"

"Why do you deserve freedom and Uldred deserves to die?"

"Because I am not a monster. I just seek to have grass beneath my bare feet, to sleep in a room that is mine alone, to marry and have a family."

"And maybe I could have let you if you hadn't taken up blood magic in the first place. I rushed here to find you, to rescue you, but then it turned out you were part of the problem."

"So then I'm to be turned over to the Templars? They'll make me Tranquil, strip my powers and my emotions. Killing me now would be a much kinder fate."

"I can't let you go."

"You told Cullen that sparing one abomination is better than killing one innocent. If I stay, this place will kill me, one way or another. Please, just let me leave. I beg of you."


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Fallon was kneeling beside Uldred, the exhaustion had set in and she could barely keep her eyes open. There were footsteps behind her, but she didn't even have the energy to turn. The walk back to the main gates would not be fun. She sighed.

"Thank you, my dear girl, for coming to our rescue. We had all assumed it was an impossible dream. I thought Uldred would kill us all." An unfamiliar and gravelly voice, an older man had hobbled over to the Warden, though she still did not wish to turn around.

"Fallon, this is Irving. We'll be leaving in a moment, after Alistair rounds up the survivors. Irving says he has a potion for that friend of yours but it's on the… Wait a moment…. Where is Zetheria?" As Wynne spoke these words Fallon gathered the energy to stand and turn toward them, tears in her eyes.

"Uldred killed her… I jus…" Fallon gestured toward the large pool of Zetheria's blood beneath the deceased abomination. The sound of stones grinding met her ears as a secret passageway disappeared behind a statue once again, but it was muffled by false sobs and kind words spoken over an empty grave.