Sins of the Fallen: Chapter 1
Light spilled through the rose colored glass windows of the chantry, dancing across stone and rafters in an easy splendor that had always been a source of comfort to Kyber. She wasn't all that fond of the chantry, on the contrary, there never seemed to be a place in the Maker's mercy for a poor city elf. During her childhood, she had gone to the one closest to the alienage only to receive suspicious glances from the reverend mother, whom she was certain thought she was thieving from them. More often than not, her true religious comfort had spun from spending nights curled up in the ragged covers of the bed she with Shianni and Soris singing the dissonant verses of Shartan and the hope of a homeland for the elves. But today Kyber was not in the chantry to wax religious, she was here for something of a far more sinister nature.
"Where is she?" Kyber, hands on her hips as she stated the question to the room, filled to the brim with the peculiar mix of chantry goers and gawkers. Most just stared at her. Kyber raised an eyebrow at them all. She was not a mousey little girl who would slink away under scrutiny any longer. She was the Warden Commander, Arlessa of Amaranthine, and she was going to get some bloody answers.
Constable Adien came out of the open stone room that housed personal offerings to Andraste and the Maker.
"She's in here, Warden commander." he said quietly, "Forgive them," he apologized as she walked by him. "Even when we were besieged by the darkspawn, nobody saw anything like this."
Kyber entered the room with swift steps, as though her presence could alter the scene.
The woman was spread out on the floor, naked. One limp arm was stretched over her head, the palm lid carefully up. Each finger pad was sliced open, creating a pool of red blood that had been spread in an intricate pattern around her that looked very much like a rune. Her other hand was positioned under her breasts but above the belly, the thick river of blood down her side showed that it had undergone the same treatment, the blood adding to the pattern. Her stomach was slashed open where her womb would have been. The entrails were missing, leaving a bloody cavern. Craning over, almost on her tiptoes, Kyber managed to see the her face, positioned to look out the window towards the Maker's sky.
The eye sockets were empty.
Andraste's Grace...
She felt her stomach contents force their way up her throat and swallowed hard.
The tattoos on the face were of the Dalish kind.
A dissenter found dead in a chantry. This had the potential to be a political shit storm.
"Constable, send someone for the mages Velanna and Anders, they should be in the market negotiating the restocking of the keep's herbal supply. Oh, and send someone for Nathaniel Howe, he should be at Master Henly's house, visiting his sister."
"Right away, commander!" A scout hurried to obey, dashing out of the open chantry doors.
"Get a scribe sent here. I want all of these markings and the positions recorded before we move the body."
There was something odd about the angle of her jaw, very peculiar.
There was a flurry of activity, as the men scrambled to obey. Unfortunately, these were the very same men holding back the crowd. People surged forward morbidly seeking the macabre.
"There something in her mouth!" a woman shouted as though she had gotten hold of a particularly good piece of gossip."
Kyber nailer her with a viper like glare. Had they no respect for the dead?
"Get that rabble out of here! I want this place closed off until we can investigate more thoroughly."
"She is definitely Dalish; from Clan Mahariel. Her token hangs at her belt."
Velanna exited the crime scene to join Kyber and Anders, worry etching deep lines in her face.
"They are recent travelers to the Wending Wood." She explained, "Their leader had been planning to take them to the Brecilian, but she passed away a few days ago. The rites must be observed."
Kyber frowned, "I do not remember authorizing that."
Their messenger came seeking permission when you were called to the capital. I informed Garevel and he is the one gave permission." Velanna's face flashed with fire. "I did not think you would be adverse."
Kyber gave her a reassuring nod.
"I am most certainly not adverse, but Garevel should have informed me."
It was just another sign that the former captian in arms was not living up to Varel's legacy, not that she blamed him all that much. In the year after the siege of Amaranthine and The Keep, he, Kyber and Mistress Woolsey had done there best to rebuild things, but it was obvious to her they were overwhelmed She would have to choose a new seneschal sooner or later. The First Warden had already sent her missives with suggested replacements, but...
It hurt to replace Varel. He been a treasure as a seneschal and a loyal friend, one of many who had died in the darkspawn raid on the Keep. It was strange that the world could just go on after the death of so many good people.
"Commander!" It took Kyber a minute to realize Velanna was speaking to her.
"Well, now that you've returned to us, you probably won't be pleased by the fact that I haven't ever seen this type of rune before in my life." Anders informed her.
"No, I'm not pleased at all."
"It does have signs of being something magic related, though, I'll show you."
Kyber took a deep breath as she entered the chamber. Some horrors one couldn't adjust to.
Anders paused and bent down to the blood on the floor.
"While this doesn't look familiar," He stretched his arm out to indicate the symbol written in the woman's blood. "This here," he pointed down to a small swirl at the base of her foot. "I'd know that anywhere. Tvinter enhancement rune, it work especially well with explosion spells.
Kyber had a feeling he was speaking from experience.
"But what was it supposed to enhance?" She asked quizzically. "Why enhance a rune that has no obvious effects? Velanna?"
She shook her head, "It is not elven, or any of the ancient dialects I know. There is something that troubles me, though."
"As if this wasn't troubling enough," Kyber shuddered.
"Why a Dalish? Mahariel is by no means a large clan, they lost a great many members to disease at the beginning of the blight, and more attempting to end it. This woman was not a hunter or a keeper's apprentice. There would be no reason for her to travel far from the camp. They would have needed to stakeout the camp in order to get a woman like this."
Kyber sighed deeply. "I have a really nasty feeling about this.
The chantry doors creaked open and Nathaniel joined the party.
"There are at least three ways someone could have entered the chantry unseen from the outside, but I see no feasible way to get a dead body in as well."
"The chantry is always open to those who need shelter at night, could the body have been snuck in?
"Bleeding like that?"
She already knew it was impossible. "Is there anyway we could recreate what happened to her? Her last hours perhaps?"
"If she died here, maybe," Anders replied, his face scrunched up, as though thinking very hard. "At risk mages weren't allowed access to those kinds of books though, so I only ever got a quick look at them.
He grinned despite the gravity of the situation.
"There are some keepers who have had successes with such spells, but I do not know them," Velanna added. "but Merrill might."
"Merrill?"
"The new keeper of Clan Mahariel. They had some trouble with disease at the beginning of the blight, I heard the keeper tried to raise the souls of the two hunters who brought the disease to the camp, but I never heard if she met with any success."
Kyber ran a hand through her hair. The last rays of twilight were blinking out of the chantry windows.
"We've done all we can. We'll send the soldiers and mages in for the body. Velanna, send word to the Dalish. I will go to the camp in the morning."
Kyber circled around the body until she was next to the woman's head. Bending down, she carefully pried her mouth open and wedged the slip of parchment from her mouth.
Carefully, she unrolled the paper and read the words aloud.
The first of the fallen
Lifeblood taken from me
For too long I held my head up
And did not watch my fingers bleed
Rather, I would gouge out my eyes
than recognize my sin of pride
"Ooo, creepy." Anders commented dryly.
"Indeed," Nathaniel agreed.
"Be serious," Velanna chided, "Isn't it obvious? We have a real problem on our hands."
Kyber frowned, "You know what it means."
Velanna looked at her scathingly and repeated the first line "The first of the fallen? Do you not think that means that there might be more?"
Oh, Andraste's tits...
A guard came out of the crime scene in front of two others, hauling the body between them.
"We've finished with the body, ma'am, you can send in the mages and templars to clean and purify."
"Of course. Nobody but the Chantry Mage and the Templar Commander is to enter that room, I want guards posted here and with the remains until I say otherwise. Bring the reverend mother to me."
"Ma'am" He saluted.
Kyber shut her eyelids tight and then opened them to the darkness in her room at the Crown and Lion. They had finished the day's investigation far too late to return to the Keep, but she doubted she would have felt much safer there. Finally giving up, she reached for her dressing gown and lit the stubby candle on her desk. If she was going to be awake, she might as well get some work done.
"Armatisa Delacroix, Warden 15 years, qualifications..." she muttered to herself.
Delacroix was an orelsian name. Hardly the best choice, but she grew up in Ferelden...
She placed the sheet face down on the table and read the next one.
Alim Surana, Warden 10 years, Ferelden native, a mage, circle trained.
"Oh, Anders would love that." she muttered sarcastically
She tossed that one to join the other.
Brianna Cousland, Warden 12 years. A Cousland? That was a well respected name in Ferelden. If she recalled correctly, Alistair was courting one, or being courted by one. Eliza? Elissa? Something of that nature. She grinned at the thought of her bashful, sweaty palmed friend to who she had given an incredibly awkward birds and the bees talking to upon his ascension to the throne. Zevran had suggested it, as court ladies were likely to try to use their, as he had put it, feminine wiles, to get their way.
Ah, Zevran...
Now there was someone she did not want to think of.
There was a sudden distraction as a well armed man crashed through her door.
"What have you done with her?" he screamed, lunging for her. The candle fell to the floor and spluttered out. "Tell me what you have done with my sister!"
Kyber had not fought two wars to be taken off guard by a screaming madman. Catching him by the wrist, she slammed it into the desk, forcing him to drop his weapon. She twisted his arm behind his back and slammed him into the wall.
"Who are you?"
"Is this how your Commander deals with the grieving, Velanna? It hardly does her credit." A voice at her door drawled.
"I do not take kindly to being attacked."
"Bloody shem bitch!" The man she had pinned to the wall wailed, "Where are you keeping my sister!"
"Commander," Velanna voice preceded her as she stepped into the room. "I apologize, the guards would not let us see the body. They said they had orders from you..."
"Is it a practice of yours to keep the grieving from their dead?" the shadow at the door asked, "It is hardly a diplomatic quality."
"Don't be an idiot. It was your hunter who burst in to the commanders room at midnight raving like a lunatic. If someone came into you aravel screaming, you'd run him through, we both know it."
The tone of annoyance in Velanna's voice was so severe that Kyber almost laughed. Not to long ago it had been Velanna speaking to her like that.
Her point seemed well made.
"Tyrell, restrain yourself" The shadow snapped, "Would Odari have wanted you to act this way?"
The young man ceased his struggling almost at once and Kyber let him go.
"My..apologies. My sister, I need to see it to believe..."
"You are the kin of the young woman found this afternoon?"
"Yes..." He voice was horse from shouting and sobbing.
"Velanna, some light please?"
A second later a soft glow filled the room. The Dalish hunter Tyrell was on his knees on the floor, head in his hands.
Kyber looked up at the shadow in the door, and started.
One side of his face was normal; strong jaw, aquiline nose, sharp eyes and dark olive skin, but the other half...
was tainted by the darkspawn, it could be the only explanation. Five long black scars scored the left side of his face as though something had raked claws down it. His already contorted upper lip curled back in a sneer. "Aren't you shems taught it's impolite to stare."
Velanna shot him a venomous look.
"Commander, This is Theron Mahariel, leader of the hunters and currently Keeper Merrill's second in command. Theron," There was a warning in her voice, "This is Warden Commander Kyberani Tabris. Theron is here to..."
"I am here to make sure the dalish are properly represented in this matter. Shems have a tendency of overlooking Dalish needs when it suits them. I will need..."
"Quiet." Kyber's voice rang with command. Theron raised an eyebrow at her but stopped talking.
"I will make allowances for your behavior, bursting into my room in the middle of the night and insulting me as such, because you are grieving. I know what a shock it is to lose love ones to violence."
She took a deep breath to steel herself against her own rage. "You are more than welcome to join in the investigation. I was going to visit your keeper in the morning and extend an invitation. However, this is my investigation. You will not order me about, whatever your rank is among your own people, and you will listen to me when I give you an order. I intend to do justice here, no matter who dislikes it and I will not be accused otherwise before I have even begun."
The room was suddenly very still. Tyrell looked at her as though she had spouted an extra head, even Velanna looked slightly awed. Kyber never lost her temper. Ever.
Kyber scrawled something on a piece of paper, and affixed her personal seal to it.
"Velanna."
The mage jumped.
"Take this to the guard at the chantry, he will release the body to the Dalish. Prepare them for what was done to her."
Wordlessly, Velanna took the paper and exited the room.
"Tyrell," Kyber added, voice losing it's edge. "I am sorry for your loss."
The elven man picked himself up and nodded hollowly before exiting. He was in shock.
She knew the feeling.
Theron remained, hands on his hips. "I will return with some of my people tomorrow morning." He informed her. "We will want to see whatever evidence you have."
"You will see it. Then. Now, pardon me for not being cordial, but get the bloody hell out of my room."
He gave her a sidelong glance, appraising her, as he exited.
"'Til tomorrow then."
Kyber sat down in her chair with her head in her hands.
Tomorrow was going to be a long day.