Chapter 1
Arcane University, Antiva City
First Enchanter Bethany Hawke sat by the desk in her office at the university, her brow creased slightly as she carefully and diligently perused the theses in theoretical research of the Creation school of magic, handed in by the senior students under her tutelage at the arcane university of Antiva. The classes for the day had concluded several hours ago, and the students had all returned home, save for the few who had come from more distant corners of the land, and even outside of Antiva just to study under her, these students making good use of the comfortable dormitories built next to the university. The grounds were no longer under the vigilant watch of the Templar Order, rather a detachment of the city guard who had completed special training to handle incidents involving mages, something that they had fortunately managed to keep down to a minimum.
Bethany was incredibly proud of how much they had managed to accomplish over the past year, once the arcane university had opened its doors, aware that considering her relationship with Divine Victoria, the Antivan university would come under increased scrutiny, the freshly baked First Enchanter knowing that she had to set a shining example for the rest of Thedas. So far, Bethany felt that she was doing an adequate job, and the response of the community was very positive, starting to feel and appreciate the value of mages and their craft. The students were also reacting very positively, people of all ages flocking to the university, more than three hundred active mages registered with the Antivan university as per the new edict of Divine Victoria, well over a hundred of them choosing to attend classes as well, even if not everyone did so with equal regularity. Bethany and the other tutors encouraged such arrangement, for there were many who simply wanted to learn enough to control their dangerous gift, and not everyone wanted to become a supreme master of the energies of the Fade. It was the task of the university to accommodate mages with varying degrees of commitment, and Bethany felt that so far, she and her fellow teachers had handled it well. The only source of slight frustration for her was that all too often she had to deal with one of her students developing a terrible crush on her, Bethany having to make sure that she let yet another amorous admirer down gently.
Still, despite everything, Bethany always felt happy and thrilled to stand in front of her class and share the knowledge she had accumulated with so many people of all ages, willing to learn more about magic, something that bound them all together into a large but still tightly knit family. In many ways, she had already discovered back in the Kirkwall Circle of Magi that being a tutor was a calling of hers, working with the magically gifted children there Bethany had learned that she possessed the kindness and patience required to become a good teacher. There were so many fond memories from her first year at the university already, none more so than the expedition at the end of the year that she had arranged for the top students of her class, a somewhat tricky and dangerous adventure to pursue an old lead that she had set aside from her days with the Inquisition. Together with her students and a group of well-respected mercenaries, they had traveled deep within the Planasene Forest to discover the lost temple of the elven god Dirthamen. Bracing the dangers of the ancient traps inside, they had emerged victorious, much to the delight of Bethany and her students managing to recover the elven blade of legend, Evanura.
Now, the great blade stood mounted on the wall in Bethany's office, easily one of her dearest artifacts in the place which had already began to feel like home away from home for her, the other items being two framed paintings that always remained within the line of sight from her desk, the larger one a beautiful portrait of her beloved Josephine, the second a drawing of them both together, enjoying a stroll on the Antiva City docks under a parasol. Ah, Josie... I love the responsibility of being the First Enchanter, of tutoring these mages, especially the children, but... if I could not return to your loving embrace every evening, my life would feel so empty. You truly do bring light into my life, beloved... Bethany sighed to herself, staring dreamily at the portrait of her beloved, all focus on the theses before her gone for the moment. She was about to drag herself away from daydreaming about Josie and force herself back to evaluating the work of her students, when she overheard a soft growling noise, accompanied by slight huffing and puffing, coming from a large wicker basket next to her desk. Bethany turned to glance at the basket, grinning and chuckling at herself when she saw that her pet fennec, Ser Fluffsworth, was once again busy chasing some harmless country vole in his sleep, kicking with his little paws as he tried to run while sleeping. Leaning down to ruffle the fur of her pet fox, Bethany glanced at the window only to discover that the sun was already much lower in the sky than she had expected it to be, suddenly realizing that she would inevitably be late for dinner at the Montilyet Estate yet again, something that failed to further endear her to Josephine's mother, a relationship that remained strained and frosty to this very day.
"Time to wake up, Ser Fluffsworth," Bethany chuckled, gently poking the sleepy fennec awake, Ser Fluffsworth rearing his head before starting to wash Bethany's finger with his warm, slightly coarse tongue that felt awfully ticklish. "Alright, alright, that's enough out of you," she chided the little fox. "We need to hurry home now, or we'll both end up in the doghouse," Bethany added, retrieving a leash from a desk drawer and then fastening it to the collar around Fluffsworth's neck, the fennec trained to accept the leash and walk obediently with it.
With the arcane university built slightly on the outskirts of the city, due to some initial lingering concerns of the citizenry to keep the mages at respectable distance, the walk to the Montilyet Estate was not overly long, taking slightly more than a quarter of an hour if Bethany made sure to hurry. Still, even with haste, Bethany's heart sank when she entered the large dining hall to see that the stern and disapproving servants were already starting to clear the table, after she had missed dinner for the third time this week. A quick glance around the hall revealed that Josephine's parents had already departed, but her beloved was still present, in the middle of her meal, while her younger sister, Yvette, sat on the opposite side of the table to Josie, her meal half-eaten as she was holding a book over her plate, reading it with an enraptured expression on her comely, exuberant face.
"Sorry... I did it again," Bethany sighed, slumping down into her seat to regard the cold pieces of nug chops and roasted tubers with Antivan red sauce in front of her, then bending down to remove Ser Fluffsworth's leash and send the excited fennec scurrying around the floor and becoming a nuisance for the many servants of the estate.
"Umm... I'm not exactly in position to berate you, Bethany. I also was late for dinner today, which is why I'm still stuck here," Josephine admitted, a little ruefully. "Mother was, of course, furious at us both."
"Of course," Bethany groaned. "I really need to do better, though." She sliced off a bite of the nug chop and nibbled on it delicately. "Well, at least this isn't horrible when cold. Not like the rest," she sighed, poking at the roasted tubers that had become soggy and disgusting with the thick sauce. "Good book, Yvette?" Bethany chuckled, looking over at Josephine's sister who had barely acknowledged her arrival with a minute nod.
"Oh, please... don't even start," Josephine groaned. "She's like obsessed with it, bringing it to dinner, barely eating anything and then pulling that book out as soon as mother and father had left the table."
"Well, it must be good then," Bethany smiled.
"What? Oh... oh!" Yvette finally stopped reading, just barely overhearing that she had become the topic of conversation for the other two. "Oh, the book! Yes, it's wonderful! 'Storms of Temptation', by Dan'el Mythril. Her best by a long shot."
"What is it about?" Bethany asked against her better judgment while munching on the cold but still tender and pleasantly spicy nug chop.
"Let me just read you the synopsis," Yvette happily offered, closing the book and flipping it over to read the print on the back. "For the first elven captain in the Antivan Navy, Kiel Zebulon's inaugural assignment was a routine trading mission down to Wycome. Little did he know that the fiery Amethyste Couronne, a passenger he picked up in the Free Marches, was heir to an enormous fortune... a fortune Rivaini pirate Prince Elrado Huracan would do anything to get his hands on! Unable to resist Amethyste's pleas for help, Kiel finds himself racing to get her back to Val Royeaux even as the ferocious Huracan pursues them and their passions ensure the eight seas would never be the same! "
"I stole a peek... it's as horrible as that summary suggests," Josephine snorted.
"Bah, Josie, you just don't understand true art," Yvette scoffed at her older sister. "Oh, and you have no romantic bone in your body." Bethany and Josephine exchanged quick glances at that, both barely avoiding bursting into giggles, nearly choking on their food.
"Perhaps you should go on a boat trip, Yvette," Bethany suggested. "A handsome pirate prince might decide to romantically abduct you and charm you into becoming his pirate mistress."
"Better not," Josephine frowned as Yvette appeared ponderous at Bethany's suggestion. "'Pride of Rialto' is already two days late."
"Oh," Bethany's face fell at that, realizing the reason for Josephine's curtness. Her cousin Sandral and his wife had departed Rialto over a week ago, and should have by now arrived in Antiva City, but reports of massive storms in the Bay of Rialto were making Josephine understandably concerned. "That's what made you miss the dinner?" Bethany asked.
"Yes," Josephine nodded swiftly. "I spent all day trying to get any information I could, then sending out messages to all our trading vessels currently in the bay to ask if they could possibly change their course and assist with searching for the 'Pride of Rialto'. It's getting hard to remain optimistic as more and more time passes, though."
"I'm sure cousin Sandral will be just fine, Josie, you're fretting too much," Yvette spoke cheerfully, flipping the book open again and submerging back into the decadent world of romantic piracy on the eight seas.
"All the same, I'm relieved they decided to leave Constance back in Rialto," Josephine said, shuddering lightly, referring to Sandral's four-year-old daughter. Initially, the girl had been expected to accompany her parents, but Josephine had managed to talk Sandral out of it, considering little Constance had only recently recovered from a very dangerous and exhausting case of a hundred-day cough. "Of course, if..." she began to speak, but then stopped herself, not wanting to give voice to her worst fears.
"Don't think that Josie, not yet," Bethany tried an encouraging smile at her beloved. "Let me quickly sate my hunger and then we shall see about distracting you from your worries, shall we?"
"That does sound acceptable," Josephine managed a small smile in reply, casting a glance at Yvette as if expecting a snarky comment, but her sister was already too lost in her book to pay any attention to them. Once Bethany had finished eating, the pair wasted little time in retreating to their personal quarters on the third floor of the villa, two comfortable work studies with a large bedroom in-between, overseeing the beautiful gardens of the estate and the lush vineyards beyond as far as the eye could see.
"So... were your parents really that irate with us?" Bethany asked quietly as she moved to stand behind Josephine, her beloved pausing at the window and taking in the beautiful view of the blossoming garden below.
"You know that my father doesn't notice these... breaches of protocol," Josephine sighed, leaning in against Bethany when she felt her lover's arms slipping around her waist. "Especially when his muse comes calling and he gets one of his artistic inspirations. Ever since you figured out how to get on his good side, he's been speaking only flattering things about you... and failing to notice how much that annoys my mother."
"Well, it wasn't hard to figure that out... like all artistically inclined people, your father simply wants other people to show interest in his work," Bethany chuckled. "And I find it fun to converse with him, at least when he's in a frame of mind to actually notice other people around him. Now, if only endearing myself to your mother would be as simple. Some days I can't really think of what else to try."
"I don't know if it's at all possible... unless we find some way for you to get me pregnant, love," Josephine grumbled, tensing a little at the mention of this lingering rift between two of the most important people in her life.
"Umm... I'm not sure magic has solved that issue just yet, Josie," Bethany replied, gently propping her chin on her beloved's shoulder to also partake in the beautiful view outside, inhaling the intoxicating scent that she had come to associate with Josephine, sweet softness of roses, but with a touch of tantalizing spice to it.
"She brought it up yet again today," Josephine sighed. "I don't know why it's even so important to her! Laurien's wife is expecting and Antoine plans to marry his girlfriend come the autumn... I'm sure in time even Yvette will settle down and marry someone with not too scandalous a reputation. Why does mother need me to give her offspring, I'm sure she'll have plenty of grandchildren to dote over one way or another!"
"Shush, love... not one more word about it, shall we agree to that?" Bethany whispered in her beloved's ear. "There's nothing we can do to fix it, so there's no reason to get angry about it, yes? We should... we should do something that distracts you from these thoughts, these rows with your mother and worries about your cousin."
"I was thinking about a quiet evening in the garden and then perhaps retiring to bed early... but it does sound as if you have something else in mind?" Josephine asked with a glint in her eyes, turning around to face Bethany.
"I do," Bethany grinned. "I think we should do something... wild, to take our minds off these matters. We should go out and hit the city for an evening of revelry, but I don't want us to frequent any of these respectable and clean establishments that come with the stamp of your mother's approval. We should dress up in simple clothes and go someplace rowdier, someplace like the Hanged Man of Kirkwall, where there are danger and thrills to face."
"Oh... how positively scandalous!" Josephine gasped, immediately looking excited about the idea. "Mother would be furious if she found out... which means that we must do it!"
"Let's see if we can find something suitable to wear, then," Bethany chuckled, turning away from the window, casting her eyes upon the large four-poster bed in which she had shared so many wonderful nights of passion with her beloved, noticing an oddly shaped box sitting on the nightstand on her side of the bed. "Umm, Josie? What's with the box?" she stopped to ask the Antivan.
"Oh? Oh! The box!" Josephine exclaimed, slapping a hand across her brow. "By the Maker, I completely forgot about it! Your shipment finally arrived earlier this morning."
"What shipment?" Bethany blinked in surprise.
"Hmm? The servants told me that the elven messenger who delivered it said that you were expecting this," now it was Josephine's turn to appear surprised.
"No... I'm most certainly not expecting any shipments," Bethany spoke, approaching the box with guarded steps. "Stand well back, Josie. There's no telling what could be inside," she warned her suddenly worried looking lover.
"Be careful, Bethany," Josephine warned unnecessarily, Bethany summoning an arcane barrier that protected them both before she used her force magic to tug the box towards her, forcing it to topple from the nightstand and watching as a brightly glowing object together with a single sheet of parchment fell from it.
"Well, at least it's nothing dangerous," Bethany sighed with relief as she approached the spilled contents of the box, but her heart immediately began to pound faster as soon as she picked up the item that had fallen to the floor, recognizing it instantly. "I know what this is..." she whispered, showing the brightly glowing magical shard to Josephine, the former ambassador of the Inquisition looking at her expectantly for an explanation. "This is the key to a riddle we never solved during the days of the Inquisition," Bethany spoke quietly. "A sanctuary to the elven god Fen'Harel deep within the southwestern desert of Orlais. We lacked the master shard to open the temple doors... and now it has been sent to me?"
"Strange... and worrying," Josephine spoke, looking rather alarmed. "What does the note say?" she asked.
"Let's see," Bethany said, picking up the parchment and unfolding it, instantly recognizing the handwriting. "Danger threatens the peace of Thedas we worked so hard to forge, and only we have the power to stop this threat, but I need your help. Bring Riona, but nobody else. You will know where to go."
"Ominous," Josephine whispered. "I take it's not signed."
Bethany shook her head at that. "There was no need, I know who it's from. Merrill."
"Merrill?" Josephine blinked. "The Merrill who disappeared from the face of Thedas yet again?" Bethany winced as she nodded at that. "It does sound serious, though... and Merrill was a good friend and ally, so... I suppose we should take this message seriously." Bethany nodded yet again. "What does she mean when she says that you'll know where to go?" Josie asked then. "Does she mean this temple in the Forbidden Oasis? That's where it was located, wasn't it?"
"I'm afraid that's what it means, yes," Bethany muttered. "The master shard is clearly an invitation."
"You'll go, won't you?" Josephine asked, sounding a little guarded to mask her worry. "I mean... you have to, really."
"Not before I've discussed it with Riona," Bethany replied, mustering a smile to reassure her beloved. "I'm not sure how she will feel about abandoning her son to travel all this way deep into Orlais. "
"It will be... agonizing to be parted from you for an extended period of time, but I don't want to influence your decision, Bethany," Josephine said, clearly looking conflicted. "Also, I suppose we should scrap our plans for the evening."
"What? No... no, why would we do that?" Bethany shook her head vehemently. "No, just give me ten minutes to write and send a letter to Riona. After that, I'm taking you out for a wild evening of drinking and partying, my beloved Lady Montilyet," she spoke with a promise in her voice.
It took an entire week for the messenger raven to bring Bethany's letter to Kirkwall and return with her sister's reply, a large black bird perching on the windowsill of Bethany and Josephine's bedroom one evening when they were already close to retiring for the night, the raven alerting them by urgently knocking on the glass with its sharp beak. Upon seeing the raven and expecting the bird to carry a reply from her sister, Bethany immediately forgot just how tired she felt at the end of another satisfying but exhausting day and jumped out of the bed to run up to the window and open it, letting the raven inside, watching as it made a lazy circle around the room before perching down on the backrest of a chair and allowing Bethany to retrieve the message, the First Enchanter swiftly unfolding the note to read it.
"So?" Josephine asked expectantly after Bethany had so swiftly abandoned her in the bed. "What does Riona say to all of this?"
"Umm... I'm not sure it's from Riona, actually," Bethany blinked, having quickly perused the surprisingly short message. "It just says 'Behind you!' I don't understand..." she said, then freezing as she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder from behind, Josephine going wide eyed and pointing towards her with a trembling hand, trying to speak, but too shocked to get a single word across her lips.
"Boo!" the person behind her spoke suddenly, making Bethany jump from fright before she swiftly swiveled around, ready to set the intruder on fire... only to end up staring in the laughing face of her older sister.
"Gah!" Bethany exclaimed, glaring at her sister, regardless of how happy she was to see her. "Riona! What... how?! That is such a mean trick! How did you pull that off?"
"I... I saw her change shape..." Josephine stuttered, still looking at Riona with eyes almost comically wide. "One moment I saw the raven... and then Riona was standing there, instead of the bird!"
"Just a little trick I picked up along the way," Riona winked, then proceeding to give her sister a tight hug, repeating it a moment later with Josephine. "How are you two doing? I tried my best not to interrupt anything too private."
"We are fine, and you didn't interrupt anything, but... that's not just some little trick, Riona," Bethany sternly shook her head at her sister. "No, I'll recognize that magic anywhere. Morrigan must have finally given in and taught you her shapeshifting spells." The way Riona's grin broadened at that was all the confirmation Bethany needed. "My, my, she wouldn't do that for just anyone," Bethany teased. "You know, Ri... I'm starting to think that Varric might have been onto something in that book of his."
"And which we most definitely have not read," Josephine insisted desperately.
"I would certainly hope so," Riona frowned at that. "Morrigan and I won't rest until all copies of that vile book have been burned. I would suggest that you mention it's existence as sparingly as possible, or preferably not at all," she added, hefting her staff meaningfully as she stared at her grinning younger sibling.
"I don't know, Riona," Bethany shook her head irrepressibly, not at all intimidated. "I think you and Morrigan aren't helping your case with the reaction you have towards this book. You know the saying about protesting too much..." Josephine let out a sputtering chuckle at that, silencing herself quickly and looking guilty when Riona turned to glare at her.
"I'm sure we have more important things to do than idle speculation about my relationship with Morrigan," Riona sighed despondently. "Why is it so hard for some people to accept that two women can simply be close friends? Anyway, enough of this nonsense, I am tired of repeating myself... it seems as if we have a new adventure to plan, don't we, little sister?"
"It certainly seems so," Bethany nodded, sitting down on the bed by Josie's side, Riona perching down at the foot of the bed. "I wasn't certain you would want to be involved, though. Does it mean that Morrigan agreed to look after Malcolm as well?"
"She did, yes," Riona nodded, wincing when she saw Bethany and Josephine exchanging meaningful winks. "Well, she owes me for all those times I've been babysitting little Keira when Morrigan simply wanted to leave for a day or two to clear her head."
"How is my little nephew doing?" Bethany asked with a fond smile on her face. "And for that matter, how is Keira?"
"Oh, they're both more than fine," Riona chuckled. "Already starting to drive Morrigan and I crazy. Maker only knows the trouble they'll get up to once they grow older. Then again, Morrigan is certainly watching her daughter much more closely than I'm watching Mal. She's still paranoid about Flemeth swooping in to either possess her or steal her baby."
"I can't really blame her, it is a frightening shadow to live under," Bethany sighed.
"I truly miss seeing the children," Josephine sighed. "Bethany, we must make sure to take another trip to Kirkwall as soon as we are able."
"Agreed," Bethany nodded. "I want to meet the little rascals as well, and also catch up with Aveline, Charade, Varric and Lace... speaking of which, are you still forcing Varric to hide, Ri?"
"I'm not forcing him to do anything," Riona huffed defensively. "To hide after publishing that ridiculous book was his own decision, I don't see how I can be blamed for his actions."
"I'm sure that the threats to his life that both you and Morrigan made had nothing to do with it," Bethany rolled her eyes. "I honestly don't care so much about you threatening Varric, I just mostly feel bad for Lace. I mean, she must be missing her husband."
"Pfft, I'm pretty sure they've found a way to regularly see each other," Riona shrugged. "But I guess I'll think about what you said, Beth. Anyway, shouldn't we be discussing this adventure ahead of us? I could barely believe the words in your letter, sis. After two years of silence, Merrill has finally remembered her promise to stay in touch and is reaching out to us? And her invitation is to send us a key to an ancient temple to Fen'Harel all the way on the other end of Thedas? What a typical Merrill thing to do."
"Isn't it just," Bethany sighed. "But yes, if we agree to do this, we will be traveling all the way to the Forbidden Oasis."
"Can we afford not to react, though?" Josephine asked worriedly. "I mean... the message sounded very urgent and serious. And even though I don't know Merrill as well as you do, I don't think she's the type to exaggerate seriousness of whatever danger it is that threatens Thedas."
"I quite agree," Riona nodded. "Josie, are you alright with Beth and me leaving off on this adventure? After all, who knows how long it might take? Also, considering that it's Merrill..."
"Oh... oh! I, umm, hadn't honestly thought about that," Josephine blushed, a reliable indication that she was not being exactly truthful. "Alright, perhaps I have been thinking about it, but... if Bethany wanted to be with Merrill, she would have simply chosen Merrill. Instead, she chose me and I have no logical reason to fear that she should change her mind now."
"Fear is not always logical, but on this occasion you really have no reason to fear, because I love you, Josie," Bethany spoke softly, leaning closer to kiss her beloved firmly on the lips. "And I always will love you."
"I know," Josephine whispered back at her. "All the same, I probably would feel far more nervous if Riona wasn't going with you. Now... now I don't feel too bad about it. And I think you could use a little break from certain tensions at the household here..."
"Oh," Riona's eyebrows rose at that. "Problems with your mother, Josie?"
"You could say that," Bethany sighed. "I doubt I'll endear myself to her any further by abandoning you for several months, though. Maybe she'll start hoping that I have abandoned you for good or something equally ridiculous. Not that you should worry, Josie... I'm always coming back to you."
"And don't you forget that," Josephine smiled. "I hope they won't miss you too much at the Arcane University."
"I should be entitled to some time off from my duties, and we have plenty of capable instructors who can replace me on temporary basis," Bethany replied. "I just need to inform Divine Victoria about my absence. Of course, this absence could be far shorter, if only my sister here would teach me the spell that Morrigan has taught her, the way to transform yourself into a raven form."
"Mhm... tempting, very tempting to cut down on that travel time," Riona mused, looking rather conflicted. "However, I did make a promise to Morrigan not to share this knowledge without her permission, and it's not a promise I am willing to break, so... sorry, Beth."
"You really seem to care a lot about Morrigan and what she might think, sister," Bethany pointed out with a grin on her lips. "Once again, I'm starting to think that Varric didn't conjure everything in that book from thin air, and there just might be some truth behind it all."
"Right, you keep mentioning that bloody book, and I'm definitely not teaching you anything," Riona huffed.
"Oh well..." Bethany sighed. "I guess we're going to take the long route then. I'll book passage for Val Royeaux first thing tomorrow. Until the ship departs, I guess you'll be staying and enjoying the Antivan hospitality with us, Ri..."