The three head out to find this rift Cassandra spoke of. Cassandra explains their situation while they walk. On the way, the Breach expands again, and the marks spread. Both David and and Maria grab their hand with their other hand and fall to their knees.
"The pulses are coming faster, now." Cassandra says after helping them up. "The larger the Breach grows, the more rifts appear, the more demons we face."
"How did we survive the blast?" David asks.
"They say you… stepped out of a rift, then fell unconscious. They say a woman was in the rift behind you." Cassandra says as they walk over a bridge. All of a sudden, a blast from the Breach crashes into the bridge and the three fall on to the frozen lake below them. A demon appears about twenty feet away from them. "Stay behind me!" Cassandra draws her sword and shield and runs at the demon.
Two more demons appear in front of the siblings. They both look around to see two daggers and a mage staff lying behind them. "Lucky us!" David says. He runs over to grab the weapons and tosses the staff to Maria. They both take a battle stance. Ryan takes the demon on the left, leaping at it and slamming both daggers into it while Maria sends balls of cold magic flying at the one on the right. Eventually, they kill the demons and walk over to Cassandra.
"It's over." Maria says.
Cassandra points her sword at Maria. "Drop your weapons. Now!" She says.
"Whoa! A demon appeared in front of us, what were we supposed to do?!" David says.
Cassandra sighs. "You're right. I can't always be there to protect you." She walks towards the path. "I should remember you both agreed to come willingly." So, they continue after the seeker hands them health potions.
Once they finally arrive at the rift, they find four other men - a dwarf with a crossbow and an elven mage - fighting demons. The three run in to help them. They fight the demons until there aren't any more to fight.
"Quickly! Before more come through." The elf says. He grabs the hands with the marks of the siblings. He thrusts their hands at the rift. A magic, green bolt of lightning shoots out from both marks into the rift. They, eventually, close the rift.
"What- What did you do?" David asks the elf after he lets go of his hand.
"I did nothing. The credit is yours." The elf says. "The magic that created the Breach created the marks on your hands. I theorized that it might be able to close the rifts, and it seems I was right."
"So we can help." Maria says.
"Good to know. Here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever." The dwarf says, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder. "Varric Tethras. Rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong."
Cassandra scoffs at this.
"Are you with the Chantry?" Maria asks.
The elf laughs. "Is that a serious question?"
"Technically, I'm a prisoner, just like you two." Varric says.
"I've heard that name before." David says. "Aren't you the author of Hard in Hightown and Tale of the Champion?"
"At your service. I'm sure we can discuss this further in the valley." Varric says.
"No!" Cassandra says. "Look, Varric, your help is appreciated, but-"
"Have you seen the the chaos around you, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me." Varric says.
Cassandra scoffs again.
"I am Solas, if there are to be introductions." The elf says. "I am pleased to see that you both still live."
"He means 'I kept those things from killing you while you slept.'" Varric says.
"Really? Thank you." David says.
"You can thank me if we close the Breach." Solas says, he turns to Cassandra. "Seeker, though one of your prisoners is a mage, I have a hard time imagining any mage having such power."
"Noted." Cassandra says.
They then continue on to the Breach, fighting more demons on the way. Once they reach the next bridge, they see a rift in front of the gate. They all draw their weapons and start fighting the demons.
In the middle of it all, David attempts to seal the rift. He only succeeds in disrupting it. "What the… what happened?"
"We need to weaken the rift by killing demons before it can be sealed! But it seems disrupting the rift stuns the demons around it!" Solas says.
"That's useful." David says. He then continues to fight demons.
Once all of the demons have been killed, the siblings make another attempt to close the rift, which is successful.
"Open the gates! The demons are gone!" Cassandra says.
"Yes, Seeker Pentaghast!" One of soldiers says.
The gates open and the group walks over to where Leliana is speaking with a member of the Chantry.
"We need to send soldiers to the temple." She says.
"We will do no such thing!" The chantry cleric says.
"The prisoners must get to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. It is our only chance!"
"You have already caused enough trouble without resorting to this exercise in futility."
"I have caused trouble?"
"You, Cassandra, the Most Holy - haven't you done enough already?"
"You are not in command here!"
"Enough! I will not have it!" The cleric notices them coming. "Ah, here they come."
"You made it. Chancellor Roderick, these are-"
"I know who they are. As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take them to Val Royeaux to face execution." Roderick says to Cassandra.
"Order me? You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat." Cassandra says.
"And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!" Roderick says.
"We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor, as you well know." Leliana says.
"Justinia is dead! We must elect a replacement and obey her orders on the matter." Roderick says.
"Would you stop talking about us like we're not here?!" David almost screams at the Chancellor.
"You're not even supposed to be here!" Roderick says. Cassandra walks up to him. "Call a retreat, Seeker. Our position here is hopeless."
"We can stop this before it's too late." Cassandra says.
"How? You won't survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all of your soldiers." Roderick says.
"We must get to the temple, it's the quickest route." Cassandra says.
"But not the safest." Leliana says. "Our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains."
"We lost contact with an entire squad on that path. It's too risky." The seeker says.
"Listen to me. Abandon this now, before more lives are lost!" Roderick says.
The Breach then pulses again, and so do the siblings' marks.
"How do you two think we should proceed?" Cassandra asks.
"Wait, now you're asking what we think?" David asks.
"You have the marks." Solas says.
"And you are the ones we must keep alive. Since we cannot agree on our own…" Cassandra adds.
"What do you think, Maria?" David asks his sister, who has kept quiet out of fear, for she is a mage in a world full of people who hate mages.
"I-I think we should charge with the soldiers. We might not survive long enough to make it through the mountains." Maria says.
"That's a good point. We charge with the soldiers." David says.
"Leliana, gather everyone in the valley." Cassandra says. The group walks past the Chancellor.
"On your head be the consequences, Seeker." Roderick says as they walk past.
That's the chapter! Please remember to favorite, follow, and review!