Hawke reflected on Anders' words as she worked. She thought of the promise she made to the Witch, the amulet hanging around her neck. She needed to fulfill her end of the bargain. Perhaps her newfound friends would go with her. She was worried of traveling into the woods by herself and she dared not ask her family. Neither of them wanted to even acknowledge the deal, and they dared not tell Gamlen.

She was meeting Varric, Isabela, and Anders at the Hung Man for lunch, bringing Aveline along with her. It was Saturday, one of the few days they ever had off work. Aveline raised an eyebrow at the provocative sign above the bar, but to her credit, she said nothing.

Varric had a booth for them near the back, away from the dancers and servers. It was not too loud a place, and friendly. There were not many places were one could be out in the open safely. Hawke introduced Aveline to the other two and they started discussing their plans for the Deep Roads.

Hawke explained her need to go to Sundermount and the group agreed to go with her. It was about a day's drive away, but Varric had recently bought a camper van and offered a camp out once they reached the forests. It sounded almost like a holiday and this eased Hawke's concerns.

So their itinerary became set. Tomorrow they would leave for Sundermount and would arrive back the next day. Tonight they would meet with Karl. They still had a few days until the money transfer would be complete, but Aveline needed their help investigating a few things around the office and they did not know how long that would take.

As they were leaving, Aveline asked Hawke, "Do you think we should ask Bethany?"

Hawke shook her head; "I don't think Mother could forgive me if I got another one of her kids killed. She's happy here. She'll stay safe here. When we come back rich and famous, it'll be worth it."

oOoOoOo

The air grew cold as they made their way through the streets. There was no parking near the Chantry, so the group walked the remaining blocks, leaving Varric's obscenely orange camper van on the side of the road.

Anders walked beside Hawke, his hands shaking slightly. Without thinking, she grabbed his hand in comfort.

"I'm sure he's fine," she said with a smile, "Just relax. And if he's not, we've got enough of us to bust him out. I'm sure we could use another mage on our mad treasure hunt."

Anders replied, "Karl was never really the adventurous type. But I appreciate the thought. I just…I just hope he's alright."

They walked in the doors of the Chantry, Aveline pausing by the statue of Andraste to bow her head slightly.

The Chantry was busy for the upcoming mass, the priests in long black gowns with white collars escorting their flock to their seats. The group slipped away through the back, going into the archival rooms. Up a flight of stairs, a man dressed in the prisoner's orange uniform of the Circle, had his back turned, his hands busy with organizing books.

"Karl," Anders breathed a sigh of relief as they made it to the top of the stairs, "You're alright, you had me so worried."

Anders held his arms out to hold him, but as Karl turned to him, Anders gasped. Hawke had seen the mark only a few times before, the mark of the Tranquil. It was a tattoo given to those who survived the electroshock treatment that separated the mage forever from the Fade.

"Who did this to you?" Anders hissed.

"Anders," Karl said in a monotonous tone, "It's alright. I was so sad before. They fixed it. I'm not dangerous anymore."

"No," Anders murmured, and turned to see five CBI agents come out of the shadows, their guns cocked at the crew of them.

One stepped forth, his black suit shining in the candlelight, "Step away from the apostate, citizens. We are bringing him into custody."

"The hell you are," Isabela cursed, raising her own pistol up.

Anders eyes went from hazel to blue, his skin almost glowing as the smell of lyrium rippled through the air. In a voice that did not belong to him, he cursed, "You will never touch another mage as you touched him."

A blast of heat exploded from Anders, the books around them igniting, giving time for the team to position themselves properly for a gunfight.

Hawke took out one of the agents, but she could see little in the smoke and all she could hear was the sound of the Chant over the firing of bullets.

The smoke was reaching the lower levels and they could hear the Chant continuing even as worshippers screamed and fled the building.

"Anders!" Hawke yelled, signaling the others to pull back, "We need to get out of here."

"I can't leave him!" He yelled, his voice returning to normal.

Hawke stood up, finding Anders' silhouette in the smoke and grabbing his arm. Another agent came forth and Hawke shot him down.

Hawke yelled at the others to move. The other three complied, Varric shooting another agent through the leg as they ran down the stairs.

The Chantry floor shook as the remaining agent ran, the other two injured on the ground. The smoke began to clear and Hawke could see Anders casting spells to clean out the air, stopping the fire from spreading further.

The two injured agents fled as Anders ran to Karl's side. Karl coughed as he tried to sit up, looking into Anders' eyes as the younger man held him.

Hawke could not hear them, but saw Anders nod, his hands shaking. She saw him take a dagger from the inside of his belt, unsheathing it. She turned away again. She had no right to witness this. A gasp, a man being laid upon the ground. It was only when she heard Anders' soft restrained cry that she turned, helping him to his feet.

"We need to go," he said, rubbing away a tear, the soot from that cheek rubbing off on to his hand.

Hawke grasped his hand. He put the dagger away and they ran down the stairs, hiding amongst the parishioners escaping the fire. The orange van was near them now, idling on the road just outside. Aveline pulled the side door open and brought the two of them inside.

None of them spoke as they drove away. They were almost silent until Varric turned to ask them all, "Where to?"

"Sundermount," Anders said quietly, all turning to see him, "I need to get out of this damn city."