Rubble poured from the sky, some of it so large that it shook the ground when it landed. The shockwave from the explosion had knocked both Ava and Seda onto the ground; as Seda pulled herself upright, she found Ava collapsed near the edge of the forest, breathing but otherwise still.

Shielding her face from the still-falling debris, Seda grabbed the thin elf and slung her over one shoulder, readying her staff with her free hand. The Temple – barely visible above the forest line – was no more than a smoldering pit.

But that wasn't what worried Seda the most.

The sky above the Temple had broken open, spilling a sick green glow across the valley. A swirling mass of energy surrounded the tear in the sky, crackling with raw magical energy that made the hairs on the back of Seda's neck stand on end.

Tightening her grip on Ava, Seda debated whether she should investigate – and help, if possible – or run as far from the chaos as she could. Before she could choose, a voice called out from behind her.

"Have there been demons here yet?"

She turned to find another elf, bald and carrying a staff but dressed simply. "No. Is that—" Seda glanced back at the sky. "That's the Fade?"

The elf nodded. "I have reason to believe so, yes."

"And you— That's where you're headed, isn't it?" Before he could answer, a small group of demons broke through the forest, heading straight for the three of them. At the same time that the elf covered them in a thin magical barrier, Seda erected a wall of fire between them and the demons. As they broke through the flames, they fought them off, though Seda was little help with Ava still collapsed on her shoulder.

"You're a talented mage," the elf complimented. "I'm sure we would have use of your skills."

Still glaring at the hole in the sky, Seda nodded in agreement. "Seda."

"Solas."

"And this," Seda shifted so she could point at Ava, "is Ava. She's Dalish, and… and probably needs a healer."

Hands alight with the calm blue glow of healing magic, Solas waved a hand across Ava. "Her life is in no more danger than ours, for the moment. We should get going."

They reached a makeshift camp long before they reached the temple, encountering suspicion that Solas waved away with effortless answers and simple explanations. As for Seda, her primary goal was to find a healer for Ava, then hopefully slip out of camp before anyone could harass her for being either a mage or a Qunari.

There were far fewer healers than there were injured, but once Seda had been assured Ava would be cared for, she made her way to the edge of camp with the intention of leaving.

"Where are you going?"

Gritting her teeth together, Seda debated ignoring the voice. Instead, she turned, hoping Solas could conjure up some more simple answers. "I'm leaving. I came to bring that elf for healing, that's it."

The woman who belonged to the voice stepped forward, her armor dented and bloodied, one cheek bruised and the other scarred. "No. We cannot allow you to leave until we've figured out what's happened."

"I wasn't asking permission."

She took another step forward, glaring up at Seda. "You will stay here, as a suspect. Whether you remain in the camp or in the prisons is up to you."

Seda scoffed, undeterred by the woman in front of her. "I'm a suspect?"

"A mage, hired with a mercenary group? One of the Qunari – who are more than capable of producing an explosion of that size? Yes," she spat, "you are a suspect."

"If I may." Solas stepped forward, giving the slightest wave towards the hole in the sky. "I do not believe that was created by Qunari explosives. Magic is a far more likely explanation, and I have reason to believe that the Qunari is not behind the tear."

"We cannot operate on assumptions," the woman insisted. "You said you could help, Solas, and that is all I want of you." Turning to a small group of guards, she pointed back towards Seda. "Do not let her out of your sight."

The guards approached Seda warily. Still glaring, she warned them, "Leave me be, and I'll leave you be." With nothing better to do, for the moment, she returned to the healers' tent to check on Ava.

The elf was still unconscious, but the healer assured Seda it wasn't serious. Already restless, Seda ducked outside, wondering how long she'd be kept in the camp before they either let her go, or she forced her way out.


Ava's head throbbed when she awoke. She sat up stiffly, squinting at her surroundings; she was in an unfamiliar room, dimly lit with little more than a handful of empty cots and a desk. She was still in her armor, though her bow and quiver were nowhere to be found.

Sliding off the cot, she took a moment to regain her balance before scanning the room. Her eyes landed on an open chest, and she began rummaging through the belongings, searching for her weapons.

"Maker!"

Freezing, Ava whirled around to find a woman standing in the doorway, hand clutching her chest. "Sorry?"

The woman shook her head. "It's fine, dear. You startled me. I didn't expect you to be awake yet.""

"Where's the other healer?" Ava asked, kneeling down to search through the chest again. "The mage. She's the one who put me back to sleep. Said I'd heal better."

"On Cassandra's orders, probably," she muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing!" the woman insisted, before stammering, "Lady Cassandra is… diligent in making certain she finds answers. If anyone can find out who caused the explosion, it's her."

Ava paused. "Explosion." A conversation with the previous healer slowly came back to her. "Right. Haven… exploded. The sky opened, and the Fade is spitting demons at us." Rubbing her forehead, she groaned. "Look, can you tell me where to find a Qunari? Her name's Seda. She brought me here, I think." Escaping wouldn't be an issue for Ava, but she needed to know what was going on before she left, and Seda seemed a better bet than the soldiers.

"She's in the prisons. Took out three guards before they got her tied down."

"Why?"

The woman chewed on her lip, hesitating to answer. "Cassandra might have accused her of using Qunari explosives to create the Breach."

Ava crossed her arms, uncertain whether she was impressed with this Cassandra for challenging a Qunari or scared shitless before even meeting her. Or both, possibly.

"Look, she doesn't have anything else to go on," she sighed. "I'm surprised she hasn't questioned you, either. Lady Cassandra questions that Qunari every day, it seems, and she won't let up on that… strange, very strange apostate." With an animated scoff, she placed her hands on her hips and added, "And I don't want to be around when the prisoner wakes up. That mage woman? Andraste bless her."

More than satisfied with the healer's gossip, Ava quietly excused herself, making a mental note to find her bow and quiver later. She hadn't made if far before a flurry of activity erupted from in front of the Haven Chantry; the few soldiers left in Haven rushed into the building, led by a cloaked woman.

Curious, Ava followed, slipping inside the Chantry and following in the shadows, keeping herself concealed as they emerged into a small dungeon. Seda was in one prison cell, stretched out on the ground and playing with a little ball of fire. A nervous Templar kept guard over her, continuously fidgeting but keeping one hand firmly on his sword. The soldiers and the cloaked woman – and Cassandra, Ava saw – were gathered around the far cell, where a woman lay collapsed on the ground, groaning as she tried to sit up.

Cassandra threw open the cell door. Ava inched forward to see more; as she did, the cloaked woman threw a knowing glance in Ava's direction. Deciding to play it safe, she crept back up to the main chantry, only daring to come out of hiding one she was back outside.

"I assume the interrogation is going well?"

Ava jumped at the new voice. She turned to find the apostate that the healer had spoken of – Solas, if she correctly remembered the single, foggy conversation she had with Seda before being forcibly put back to sleep. "I didn't stay to watch," she answered lightly.

"I hope Cassandra isn't too hard on our guest," Solas remarked, matching Ava's carefree tone. "There's a mark on her hand that I believe to be the key to all this." He waved towards the Breach.

"I see." Ava gave a disinterested smile, wondering if it might be better to wait a little bit longer and find out what was going on, or if, as Solas suggested, it could even be stopped, rather than leaving right then to go back to her clan. But as tempting as the thought was, Ava wasn't certain she wanted to get caught up in whatever was going on. "Look, I should…" Ava glanced around, searching for an excuse to disappear for a bit. "I need to…"

Solas gave a small nod. "Of course."

With a slight smile and a quiet thank you, Ava headed back towards the small building she'd woken up in, searching for the healer that seemed to know so much. "Hello?" Poking her head in the doorway, Ava gave a small wave to the healer.

"Oh! Did you need something?" Wiping her hands on her apron, the healer turned to Ava. "I'm Rosalyn, by the way. Didn't have time for proper introductions while you were sleeping," she chuckled.

"Ava. But you probably know that. Do you… When I was brought here, I had a bow and quiver with me," Ava explained. "Do you know where they are?"

"I'm sorry, no. You could try the blacksmith, maybe?" Rosalyn offered. "Or wherever else the soldiers keep the weapons?"

Letting her shoulders drop, Ava thanked Rosalyn and headed back outside to search for some decent weapons. As much as it seemed a better idea to find out what was going on, she wanted nothing more than to be back at home with her clan.


"Ten sovereigns?"

"No," the Templar insisted, voice broken by a tremor. "I can't let you out."

Letting the fluid tendrils of ice wrap around her fingers and dance across the palm of her hand, Seda offered, "Twelve sovereigns and the spare boots I had with all my belongings?"

"I'm sorry, I can't. Lady Cassan—"

His refusal was cut off by a shrill scream. Another soldier barreled down to the prisons, motioning for the Templar to follow. "They've broken through! Demons – they've overrun the valley. There's more rifts."

On her feet in an instant, Seda grabbed the Templar through the bars. "Let me out," she growled, voice deep and almost feral, "or you'll just be in my way when I break out myself."

Without hesitation, the Templar unlocked the cell, moving quickly out of the way as Seda pushed past both him and the other soldier, ignoring their protests as she emerged back into the sunlight. Shielding her eyes, she found that while Haven itself was still relatively peaceful, demons weren't far beyond its walls.

"Hey, Seda! Seda!"

The qunari looked up to find Ava racing towards her with a lopsided grin, bow in hand. "Ava?"

Breathlessly, Ava skidded to a stop, sending snow flying. "They went to the Breach. Cassandra and the—the prisoner." Taking a deep gasp for breath, she paused before adding, "Something about stopping all this. They need help. Have to fight through a shitload of demons to leave, anyway, so I thought why not."

Glaring down at the elf, Seda scoffed. "They've been more accommodating to you than me, though."

"Misunderstanding," Ava shrugged, finally catching her breath. "Look, Varric and Solas went ahead. They want to meet Cassandra at the Breach. They're going to need help closing that thing."

Seda sighed. "Find me a staff and I'll go."

Eyes lighting up with excitement, Ava cocked her head to motion for Seda to follow. "I know where a bunch are. Creators," she grinned, "I haven't been this excited since Bron and I accidentally invited ourselves to a Wintersend festival."

Seda sighed again.