Infiltration is tricky work.

Lasa had been sent with the small group with Dorian to infiltrate the palace while Enasal distracted the Magister. The sewers were dark and small; there was barely enough room to walk on the stone pathways above the sewage. Lasa wrinkled her nose at the smell. She was at the back, to ensure they weren't being followed. Soon enough, they had made it into the kitchens. They were empty. Lasa thought it was unusual, but she reasoned that it was late and everyone had finished for the evening.

They went silently through the halls towards the main hall, slitting the throats of any guards they came across, which, surprisingly, wasn't very many. Lasa wondered if it was a trap. She whispered these thoughts to Dorian when she got the chance. He whispered back, "they're probably guarding Magister Alexius in case something happens. Let's keep moving."

Lasa slipped into the shadows of the main hall. She could see Enasal, along with Solas and Blackwall, and Alexius on his throne with Felix standing by him and guards by every pillar on both sides of the main hall. She looked to Dorian for direction. He directed all of them to take positions silently behind each guard. Lasa had her dagger unsheathed, so there wouldn't be the noise of unsheathing it.

Dorian gave the signal to strike, so Lasa slit the throat of the man in front of her. She felt warm blood run over her fingers as she let the body fall. It was a strange feeling. It both pleased and disgusted Lasa to take a life. She wondered about both feelings.

Lasa stepped up with Dorian as their people positioned themselves in the guard's place. She stood slightly behind him and Enasal. Alexius seemed to have a trick up his sleeve, making Lasa wary. She reached out and gently touched Enasal's sleeve. Enasal turned to look at her.

That was when Alexius cast his spell.

A flash of green, the feeling of being torn apart and forced back together, and Lasa found herself laying in cold water. She panicked and shot up, shouting, then calmed down when she realized that Enasal and Dorian were right beside her.

They were in a flooded cellar. Dorian theorized that they were still in Redcliffe, Enasal looked confused. To Lasa, something felt horribly wrong, like she didn't belong here. She was anxious, and looked to the others for an explanation.

"It's not where, it's when!" Dorian seemed to have figured it out. "He's sent us through time!" Lasa stopped listening to the conversation when she heard footsteps, but the other two didn't seem to notice. She was vaguely aware of them discussing how to get back, but then two guards burst in. Both sides attacked.

Already having been anxious, Lasa's work was sloppy, and blood turned the water red around her feet, both her own and that of the guards. She had a long gash on her arm. It stung a bit, but it wasn't deep. It wasn't bleeding much, either, so she elected to ignore it. Enasal, however, insisted on wrapping it up with some strips of cloth from the guard's uniforms.

They headed out of the cellar. It turns out, they were in the dungeons under the fortress. Red lyrium plagued the place, and Lasa could hear it singing. It made her head hurt and she felt like she was buzzing. She covered her ears as they walked up and down many flights of stairs. What they were looking for, none of them knew. A way to get at Alexius? Someone they knew? A way home? Lasa certainly didn't know. The hum grew louder as they approached a part of the dungeon with cells full of red lyrium and corpses.

Then they found Blackwall.

He was in one of the cells, and his eyes were red, his voice was off, and he felt... nearly dead. Lasa was worried. Enasal explained the situation. They found out that they had been "gone" for over a year. Blackwall thought that he had gone crazy, but he agreed to help. Lasa could still hear the red lyrium sing.

Next they found Solas. There was something... broken... about him. Like he had lost more than he could say. Lasa unlocked the cell door and he nearly fell. He also was infected with the lyrium. However, he also agreed to fight.

Lasa heard a cry of pain. She turned towards the sound, but it was distant, as if she were feeling it instead of really hearing it. Dorian noticed her move, and asked, "what is it?" Lasa replied softly, "I hear her." That was all she said before she started running. The others hurried after her, but she didn't slow for them. She tore down the halls, down so many twists and turns that she would surely be lost when she tried to return, but she didn't care. She could hear the pain, and the lyrium singing, she felt like she was going crazy, like she was going to shatter at any moment, but she just had to get to her.

She burst through the door. The distraction she gave the torturer was enough for Leliana to snap his neck with her legs. It was pretty impressive, actually. The others caught up to her, out of breath. Enasal patted her head, "good job," as if she were an animal, but Lasa didn't mind. She liked being praised. Enasal let Leliana down out of her chains. Leliana had a fury that Lasa had never seen: the cold, heartless fury of someone who has nothing left but anger and vengeance and patience. She told them that Alexius spent all of his time locked in the throne room. He was paranoid. Lasa didn't blame him. She could still hear the lyrium sing.

They headed up to the royal wing. There, they discovered another rift. Without Enasal to close them, they had gotten out of control, and plagued Thedas like locusts.

A shade went right for Enasal, but she wasn't paying attention, because she was busy fighting a wraith. Lasa drew her daggers and went after the shade. The singing had driven her mad, and she slashed it to ribbons. Then she went after the rage demon, alone.

It was so hot, too hot to be near, especially with so little protective armor, but Lasa didn't care. She leapt at it with a snarl, driving her blades into the spots where its eyes should have been. She could feel it's rage, she could relate, but the demon's rage was no match for the whirlwind of insanity that the singing had quickly driven her to. She stabbed it again and again, being thrown away and jumping right back at it, she spent most of that fight above the ground. When it finally died and sank into the ground, she fell to her hands and knees. She looked up to watch Enasal seal the rift, with the bright green bolts flying from her hands to the hole in the world. Then it was gone.

"Da'len," Solas helped her to her feet. She was trembling. "The singing," she whimpered. "I cant take the singing. It's so loud." Solas gave her a pitying look. "Perhaps I can help." He put his hands over her head, and suddenly, the world went quiet. She could still hear the singing, but it was softer now, a gentle hum in the very back of her mind, drowned out by the silence. She could see Solas's lips moving, but no sound permeated the silence. Solas nodded to her and motioned for her to follow, so she did.

She watched as Enasal spoke to Solas, gesturing to her, but she couldn't hear a thing. It was peaceful, almost, but it brought on a sort of madness of its own. However, the sense of separation from the world was much better than the lyrium's song.

They approached the door to the throne room, only to find that it couldn't be opened. Lasa watched Dorian speak, but she couldn't hear him. However, from reading his lips, she got 'servants' and 'has to eat.' She figured that they thought there was another entrance.

Enasal handed Lasa the shard that they had found on the body of one of the guards. She put Lasa's other hand over it, then patted her hands. Lasa realized that she was supposed to hold onto it, and nodded. She tucked it safely away.

They walked up a flight of stairs and down a corridor that lead to a dining hall. Solas tapped her shoulder, and pointed to a ladder that went to an overhang. Lasa climbed the ladder. She had no idea if she was silent or not, but the men eating at the tables made no sign of hearing her, so she assumed that she was quiet enough. She felt the ladder shake a bit as someone climbed up after her. It was Dorian. He stood on the edge of the overhang. He pointed to the men, then mouthed to Lasa 'kill.'

Lasa descended on the head of an unsuspecting mage and killed him with a single blow.

Chaos ensued. The others stormed the room, while Dorian shot down fire from above. Lasa drove her dagger into the chest of a guard, then turned to see Blackwall facing three at a time. She ran to him, then jumped on his shoulders, vaulting herself into one of them, sending her and her enemy tumbling into a table. She regained her senses first and slit his throat.

Blackwall hadn't even faltered. Lasa wasn't surprised, since he was massive and she was not. She stabbed one of his attackers in the back and he took care of the other with a blow to the skull. Blood sprayed all over them both. Lasa turned to see that all the guards were dead. They found another of the mysterious shards. Lasa wondered if they might open the door to the throne room.

This process was repeated until they had found five of the strange shards. There was still no other entrance to the throne room. Lasa held the shards in her hands, looking down at them. They made her skin tingle. She stomped her foot to get the attention of the others, then headed back to the throne room. Lasa knelt down and put the shards carefully in the slots in the door. The door glowed, then it opened. She smiled when Enasal patted her back and nodded to her. They entered the throne room.

The first thing Lasa noticed was Felix. She couldn't hear herself, but she said aloud "he's already dead." Leliana soon had a blade to Felix's neck. Magister Alexius looked distraught. Lasa couldn't tell what they were saying, but all of a sudden, Leliana slit Felix's throat. Lasa could visibly see the moment that Alexius snapped. He began to attack, and he was strong with rage and grief. He was like a storm.

Lasa jumped out of the way as he attacked. She tried to get behind him, but with all the chaos and being unable to hear, it was impossible. So she stood near Enasal and did her best to protect her.

The battle seemed to be going poorly, especially when a rift opened in the throne room. Blackwall was the first to fall. Lasa guarded him as Enasal tried her best to revive him. Leliana fell next. They weren't dead, just too sick, wounded, and exhausted to carry on. Lasa began to feel anxious again. She caught Solas's eye. He shot a ball of magic at her before he was knocked down by a demon.

Lasa could hear again, and the singing was louder than ever. She screamed and flew at the demons. She was nearly a demon herself as she slaughtered them. Enasal managed to get Blackwall and Leliana back on their feet. She went so Solas as Lasa rushed at Alexius. Dorian stepped out of her way.

Lasa was not the one to deal the killing blow. Enasal had that pleasure as she stabbed the Magister in the back. Everything settled, but Lasa could still hear the lyrium sing.

Dorian found the amulet that had been used to send them there. He said it would take nearly an hour to activate. Blackwall, Solas, and Leliana promised to give them time. Lasa didn't like it, and Enasal refused. Lasa put a hand on her shoulder and said, "we have to make sure this never happens." Enasal nodded sadly, and they watched Solas and Blackwall leave the hall and close the doors behind them.

That hour was painful. Between the shrieking and cries outside of the door, the lyrium singing, and the agony of waiting, Lasa felt like she would rather die than this. The door burst open, and Solas's body was thrown on the floor. There was no sign of Blackwall.

Leliana began firing her arrows. The last thing Lasa saw before being pulled through the magic opening back to their time was Leliana's death, and unlike Enasal, she had a very clear view of the demon ripping out her throat.

Lasa stumbled over the ground as they were put back in their own time. She fell to her knees. The singing was gone. She nearly cried with relief. She paid little attention to the scene in front of her as she just stared at the marble floor beneath her. It wasn't glowing red, and it wasn't stained with blood. Now that she thought about it, neither was she.

They had won. The mages were on their side, and they were going to seal the breach.


This will get more detailed once I get to the destruction of Haven, (next chapter), because I remember everything after that better than everything before. Please bear with me, here, I know this isn't that good, but it will get better soon, I promise.

Also, please give me advice if you have it. I appreciate it.

Hope you enjoy!