"Well, this is a surprise." Sloth looked much the same, but also different. Smoother, less diseased, without drooping eyes and sporting much more fur. Solona would not have recognized it, if it hadn't felt quite the same. Or close to it; even that sound was a little different.

"Sloth?" She asked. It chuckled.

"Yes, yes. It is me. What is interesting is that you are awake." It yawned. "Not a dreamer. Did they send you back into the fade?"

"Er…no. I was…I think they hit me in the head." Solona grumbled, peevishly. There was a dull ache there, even in the Fade, so it was likely true… Sloth snorted.

"I don't believe that is how it works. But if you're here for now, then I suppose we may talk some more." Sloth settled onto its paws, looking up at her. "Make yourself comfortable."

She crossed her arms. "You're still a demon, Sloth." A wry smile quirked across her face. "Even if not all demons are demons."

"Clever. I, however, would be sorely missed were I gone, and hunted quite avidly. It is quite a difficult thing to bind a demon into a contract such as mine and Pride's." It flopped over on its side. "They will certainly expect a recently Harrowed mage to be the culprit."

Solona sighed, falling into a cross-legged position. "All right. So what do you want to talk about, and what am I going to owe you?"

Sloth smiled, an awkward expression for a bear-creature. "I would like another song."


Greagoir was at his wit's end. Neria had been clapped in anti-magic bracers and dumped into a cell, with strict orders to the guarding templar that she was not to be spoken to, touched or otherwise interacted with, more for her safety than theirs. The preparations for Tranquility would have to begin. It was a mercy, and too good for her, considering the shape Cullen was in.

Fried within an inch of his life, armor super-heated, Cullen was an ugly mess. The best healers in the Tower were working tirelessly to restore him to his proper self. The man was going to have scars, but it was a small mercy none would be on his face, and they were not too severe throughout. Without magic, he would have died. Even if he'd somehow managed to survive, he would have looked a twisted monster. Thanks to the mages, he would be back to normal in a few days, followed by a week of rest.

The other involved party, Solona, was where Greagoir was lost for the first time in a very long time. There were no witnesses save Cullen and Neria to what her role had been. Cullen likely had been unable to see due to twitching all over the hall, and Neria refused to speak. The Knight Commander was loathe to assume the new mage would have helped attack a templar, but she had been acting so strangely lately…

He sat next to Cullen's bed, watching the mages work, Solona out cold on another bed beside him. The blow to the back of her head had been highly unnecessary, and it seemed again she was refusing to wake. She wasn't asleep, she was merely unconscious, and was unresponsive to all healing magic. She seemed peaceful enough, which did nothing to put him at ease.

When mages acted out of sorts, bad things happened. The vagueness of 'bad things' only illustrated how unpredictable the outcome could be.


"Lyrium sings, and therefore so does mana." Sloth continued, lazily tracing a claw over the ground.

"It kind of…vibrates. Hums. That's not really singing." Sol frowned.

"I do not know how you have lyrium in the mortal world. Is it in veins, such as these?" Sloth motioned to one next to him, large spires of lyrium glinting in the ambient light. "Does it sound as these do?"

Solona focused on them, attempting to 'hear' it over the Sloth's lullaby. "It's different. This is muted, but it sounds like a song."

"I do not know. I have never been to your mortal world." Sloth grumbled, "And I cannot teach you more without knowing the problem. Bah."

Solona crossed her arms again, peevishly. "Maybe I can figure it out myself."

"Perhaps. It is possible." The demon yawned. "Though…there is another way…"

"Another way…?"

"If I could come to the mortal world, I could tell you the problem." Sloth watched her, carefully. "Not in a mage's body, of course; that is not allowed. And they would search the mages for me, and slay the mage responsible, killing me in the process. But…"

Solona bit her lip. This was a dangerous path. "But what?"

"…There is another way."

She swallowed. No harm in hearing it out, right? "…I'm listening."


Cullen awoke to dull, aching pain in constant waves, and yet his first thought was This is not as bad as I thought it would be. He felt heavy, and realized he was naked, with cooling salves layered all over his skin, from his feet to his face. Opening his eyes seemed like a poor idea.

"Ah, you're awake." A smooth, male voice had noticed the change in his breathing, likely. Except it was probably a mage, not just a voice. "A very quick recovery, all things considered. Still, you will have to remain here for the time being." He heard robes rustle, and the feeling of hands checking some of the bandages. And then the cool taste of glass at his lips, followed by a light trickle of water.

"It would be best if you did not speak or open your eyes for now." The voice said, as he drank. "We will be sure to take care of everything. I will inform the Knight Commander that you have awakened, however. He is most worried about your condition."

At any other point it would have been rather terrifying for Cullen that Greagoir had taken an interest in him somehow. But now all he felt was relief, that someone cared, that he was likely not in trouble, and everything would be okay. There were perks to being constantly surrounded by mages; the healing was certainly the most appreciated, even if it was the one you wish you never had cause to utilize.

A light groan to his right had the male voice chuckling. "Seems our other sleeping beauty has come to."

"Wha…?" A light voice, adrift in confusion was Cullen's only clue to the owner.

"You're in the infirmary, Solona. Becoming a bit of a habit for you to show up here, and not wake up." The voice was amused. "Running us ragged trying to figure out what is wrong, and then you have the temerity to simply wake up on your own."

"I, uh…sorry?" Solona's voice mumbled. "I can go back—"

"No, no, you're to stay here as well. The Knight Commander wanted to know when both of you woke up. No wandering off." The male voice was kind, but stern, and Cullen heard the soft sound of someone readjusting their pillows and sheets. "I mean it. Stay."

"'Kay."

Then the voice departed with the soft sound of mage shoes, and the pair were left alone, or at least Cullen assumed alone. Why was Solona here again, anyway? What had happened to her?


It was difficult to tell who the man across from her was, as he was completely swathed in bandages. He was built thick, like a templar, however, and not at all as someone whose heaviest lifting was a particularly cumbersome tome. He was probably the templar that Neria had attacked. He would hopefully be all right, though being smothered in healing poultices wasn't usually the best sign in the world.

The heavy step of templar boots made her want to bury her face into her pillow. Instead, she yawned, and did her best to look bleary-eyed and confused. Greagoir did not look convinced. But he ignored her at first, going first to the wrapped templar.

"Can he speak?" Greagoir asked the mage Solona didn't recognize. He shook his head in a non-committal way.

"He should be able to, but it would be best for him if he did it as little as possible for a while."

"Very well. Ser Cullen," and Solona startled, realizing that she knew this poor man, "you are officially off-duty until such a time as the mages in the infirmary deem you fit to return. You will follow all their orders to the letter." Then his voice dropped, and he seemed rather…tired. "Take all the time you need."

And then he was turning to face her and she quailed slightly. "And Mage Amell? She is well?" He didn't talk to her, even though he was almost, almost, glaring at her.

"She's fine. All that was wrong was that she wouldn't wake up, and, well…" The mage gestured at her, flashing an apologetic look at Solona. "She's fine now."

"Very well. With me, then." He offered her his arm, and she reluctantly took it.

It felt odd to walk through the Tower in an infirmary shift and not her robes. Greagoir did not speak to her as they walked, but the pace was comfortable. It didn't feel like the walk of death, and she couldn't be made Tranquil, but that did nothing to make her any less nervous overall.

Finally, she was politely deposited in a chair opposite his desk and he stood behind it. She very quietly freaked out as he started to speak. "Explain to me what happened." No please, no preamble, no courtesies. Explain. Now.

"I was in my room when I felt the magic go off." Solona was proud of how she managed to keep the shakes from her voice. She wished they weren't in her hands. "It was weird, because no one uses magic in the hallway, and it was…uhm, wild, and loud—"

"Loud?" Greagoir raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"I guess that's, er…the closest I can get to describing it. Sensing how much she was using was overwhelming." Solona very nearly stammered. "I didn't know what to do, and I was just scared, and all I could think of was to take the mana away from her and there was so much and it was just…" She looked at him helplessly. "I don't know."

Greagoir softened. "Not many would come to the aid of a templar." His voice was quiet, and she felt suddenly uneasy in a different would really take her word for it? It seemed too convenient. "For that, you have my thanks." The Knight Commander seemed to hesitate. "Do you have any clue as to why you would not wake up?"

Because I was in the Fade speaking with a demon and potentially agreeing to help him cross the Veil. "No, sir." It was the truth. She didn't know why she ended up in the Fade completely awake, or how she had managed it. She didn't know why she hadn't responded to healing that should have revived her immediately. She was answering the question.

He sighed. "Very well." The attached 'I appreciate what you did but we'll be watching you all the same' went unspoken. It was just understood. And now Solona realized that she had openly fought against another mage, for a templar. She was not going to be popular, in a more polarizing way than before, where she had simply just existed.

It felt a little wrong to have saved a life and then be worried people were going to look down on her for it, but she couldn't really help it.

"Can…can I go?" She asked meekly. She didn't want to be in this office anymore; she wanted to hide in her room and pretend for a little while that she was just another normal mage. Greagoir nodded, and she did just that, moving quickly down the stairs to her room and huddling in the most private corner, knees to her chest, lyrium humming on the shelf next to her ear, reminding her of before, in the Fade.

One should never make deals with demons…not all demons are demons…Sloth would teach her…and she didn't have to be possessed…

She shivered as she realized she'd come to a decision long before she had woken up.


Oh no! Neria is going to be Tranquil'd! Or is she? And poor Cullen. Maybe I abuse him a little too much… I wonder how Niall will take Solona being pegged as a templar sympathizer.

Sloth might be my favorite character, by the way.

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