Journeys

Reda felt much better. Felsi and Tara were incredible healers. She was still weaker than she would have liked, but she had wasted enough time lying around. The healers had both wanted her to stay another day, but Reda had to know. She had to see for herself. Shana hadn't done a thing, just shown up in full armor with a small pack slung over her back. Her shield and sword were both worn, but well cared for. Reda had checked all of her own gear and everything was as it should have been. Parting from Felsi and Tara had been...hard. But Reda was no stranger to hard tasks.

As they walked towards the point marked on the map, Reda found herself glancing at the Silent Sister and finally Shana signed at her.

'Problem?' Shana asked in her silent language of gestures. She did not have her sword or shield in hand, but they were ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.

'I didn't think your kind used weapons.' Reda replied the same way, most of her senses on watch all around them. The surface was weird but the two female made every little noise as they travelled.

'Normally, we do not.' Shana agreed. 'But coming here, I tried to maintain the fiction that I was a normal warrior.' She shrugged expressively. 'Didn't fool Felsi or Tara for a second though.'

'Sharp as dagger points, the both of them.' Reda agreed. She shook her head. 'I cannot go back to Orzammar, Shana.' The Silent Sister looked at her and Reda sighed deeply. 'You understand hate, do you not?'

'Yes.' Shana's reply was chopped. 'I hate the Carta for what they did to the king's children.' Reda looked at her and the Silent Sister bowed her head. 'We held the assassins off until Rica and the kids made it into the secure room. Said room was proof against blades, toxins and even battering rams for a bit. It was not proof against a lyrium charge.' Reda's eyes bulged and then she nodded slowly. Such explosives were used by miners to clear rock. They were very powerful. 'I was fighting nearby when it went off. I remember a bright flash and then I woke with healers tending me. I was the only survivor of the guards in that area.'

'Please do not be offended by this, Shana.' Reda replied in gestures. 'I want to believe you. I do. But I know my brother. He has the morals of a darkspawn. The end always justifies the means and no one else matters but him.' Shana tensed but Reda continued. 'I am not saying that you are telling untruths. I am not questioning your recollections. All I am saying is that I cannot trust him in any way. I get that he wants the weapon I have. The crossbow won't work for anyone else. If anyone tries, it will self destruct. Spectacularly.' Shana pursed her lips, nodded and relaxed a little.

'I was ordered to bring you to the palace in Orzammar if I found you.' Shana said in the silent language. 'Any way I had to. Admittedly, my orders are six weeks old. I was told that communication would be hard if not impossible and I have not heard anything since.'

'I cannot go back, Shana.' Reda signed sharply. 'I gave Pyral Harrowmont my word.' Shana jerked and Reda nodded. 'And then Bhelen had him cut down in the street like a rabid nug.'

'I... understand.' Shana replied in gestures after a moment. 'I will continue to try to convince you.' She warned. 'And I will stay with you until I can convince you.'

'That is going to be a long wait.' Reda smiled a little forlornly and Shana shared it.

They continued along the small track that had been indicated on the map that Evelyn had given them. It pointed to something called 'Valammar'. Whatever that was. Access to the Deep Roads was marked on the map, but nothing else. Reda paid close attention to her surroundings and it took every ounce of her self control not to goggle at so many different things. She had seen a lot while staying with the Dalish, but this area was different. Some trees looked the same, others were very different. Some of the other plants were the same, others different. She knew what flowers were, she had been well educated. But until coming to the surface, she had never seen them live. The closest she had ever come was a relic of her house. A ceremonial bouquet that had been gifted to the Aeducans by someone who had been forgotten. Said bouquet had been preserved in amber for centuries. They had been pretty, but... Even then, she had known those were dead. Everything around her now was alive. It was very different from the world she knew.

They were following the trail beside a large body of water when they heard it. The clash of steel on steel. The cries of battle. Both dwarves looked at one another and continued forward carefully. A waterfall ahead of them was their destination, but apparently, they were not the only ones trying to get in.

Reda went still as she saw half a dozen forms in familiar armor -Inquisition!- battling a group of black robed beings. Each of the robed ones was gesturing, energy crackling and Reda hissed softly as she saw lightning arc from one of the robed ones to an Inquisition soldier. Mages. Hostile ones! A tap on her arm had her freezing and Shana pointed to the side. Another form stood slightly apart from the battle. Another mage. Female. Human. She was smiling evilly as the Inquisition forces fell one by one. Reda shook her head and shrugged out of her pack. Shana looked a question at her, but Reda ignored her.

The dwarf rogue's hands were flying in careful trained sequence. First the receiver. Then the stock. Then the arms slotted into place. Then the retaining pin. Then the scope. She had it assembled in twenty seconds, not her best time. She would have to work on that. The weapon came alive in her hands as she fed the lyrium from the reservoir into its main chamber. Shana shied away from it as it started to glow softly, but Reda ignored her. Reda ignored everything but her target and its surroundings.

The mage was coated in a shimmering veil. A shield of some kind. Reda twisted a knob on the side of the bow and looked at the trees surrounding the mage. The wind was light and from the left. She twisted another control a little. There was often a breeze underground -at times a strong one- and any archer learned to compensate for it. She took up slack on the trigger bar with her middle finger, slowly and carefully aiming at the human woman's torso. She had no idea how tall the human was, so she hoped for the correct elevation. From this angle, there was no chance she would hit any of the Inquisition soldiers. For just a moment, she hesitated. Did she really want to get involved? Then one of the mages slit the throat of a soldier who was down but still alive and the look on the mage's face decided her. Anyone who felt glee about such needed to die. She let half of the last breath she had taken escape her lungs and held the rest.

The crossbow thumped against her shoulder and she lowered the weapon slightly as she started the cocking mechanism. It would take seventeen and a half seconds to draw the powerful arms back and slot another bolt into place. She ignored that, keeping her eyes on her target. The mage had no idea what hit her. One moment, she was cackling with glee, egging the others on. Then next, she was catapulted forward, the bolt sticking out of her back like a spear. She fell onto her face and did not move. None of the others had a clue what had happened as Reda felt the bow click in her hands and she brought it back up.

None of the Inquisition soldiers were standing now, so she did what did best. She serviced targets. They were not people. They were things. Breath. Thump. Miss by millimeters accompanied by a silent curse. Seventeen and a half seconds. Breath. Thump. One mage took the bolt through an eye. Breath. Seventeen and half seconds. Thump. Another was hit through the chest.

Now the mages knew they were under attack, but they had no idea where the bolts were coming from. Even if they did, Reda had gauged the distance to be around two hundred yards. The mages could hit Reda and Shana from that distance, sure. If of course, they could see Reda or Shana and they couldn't. The bushes gave the two dwarves a certain amount of concealment and the bolts were next to invisible as they flew.

"Where are you?" One of the mages screamed in frustration, only to scream in pain as Reda's next bolt tore her arm off. Setting the crossbow that strong had been needed to be sure it would puncture any mage's barrier on the first hit. None of their barriers stood a chance. What such velocity did to cloth covered flesh when it penetrated was indescribable. The woman fell to the ground, clutching the stump of her arm, but then she slumped and fell over.

The remaining mages were retreating, but Reda's eyes were cold, dead things as she fired again. Another mage fell, never to rise. Both of the others faded from sight and Reda paused. Some kind of invisibility spell! She held her breath and waited. One of the mages reappeared, his terrified eyes clearly visible through the scope flicking this way and that. She fired and he screamed and fell.

"There you are!" A scream of rage came from close at hand and Reda spun, but a stunning blow threw her to the side as energy tore through where she had just been. Then her eyes were huge as Shana charged the mage who had appeared nearby. Reda raised her weapon, but Shana was between her and the mage. She hissed in frustration, waiting for a clear shot. But then she went still as Shana attacked.

The mage laughed, raised a hand and energy crackled. But it had no effect as Shana closed the range. The Silent Sister hadn't drawn her sword or shield. Instead, she held her hands oddly. Reda suddenly had a flash of memory. Long ago, she had faced a Silent Sister initiate in the Proving before her brother's treachery had gotten her cast from Orzammar. That sister had fought barehanded against armored warriors armed with axed, swords and hammers. She had bested all enemies until Reda. Then she had died to Reda's sword for she would not surrender even when Reda had her down. She had thrown herself onto Reda's sword instead of surrendering.

But that girl had only been an initiate. Shana was not an initiate. Reda hissed in awe as the Silent Sister seemed to blur. The mage was dumbfounded as Shana closed with him. Then he screamed in fear as she pummeled him with fist and foot in rapid succession. Fear changed to pain and the barrier that Reda could see glowing flashed blue and vanished as the unarmed warrior's armored gauntlets and boots connected to robed flesh in trained movements that were utterly unstoppable. Bones snapped in rapid succession. Even Reda could see the beauty in the Silent Sister's movements as she swiftly and mercilessly beat the crap out of the mage.

It seemed to go one for minutes, but was likely less than half a minute before Shana stood over the crumpled form, her fist cocked back as she looked at Reda. She inclined her head to the broken mage and then shrugged expressively. Reda laid her hand over the still open hole in her throat.

"They may want a prisoner." Reda said calmly. Shane frowned but then nodded. She pulled some short lengths of rope from somewhere on her person on and started tying the mage, ignoring his cries of pain as she twisted broken bones. Reda ignored them as well, starting for the scene of battle as she unloaded her bow. Then she started to disassemble her bow by touch. She picked up her pack, slinging it as she worked. Each piece of her bow went where it belonged and it was stowed by the time she reached the scene of the battle.

All of her targets were down but she checked each carefully anyway. She had learned early that just because a target was down, that didn't mean it was dead. Indeed, one of the humans was trying to crawl away, sobbing. She couldn't move, but was trying. Reda eyed the woman and shook her head. She drew her dagger and stabbed into the base of the woman's skull. An instant merciful kill. The human fell limp, never to rise. Reda shook her head, sickened by this and turned her attention to the Inquisition soldiers.

Most of the forms in familiar armor lay silent and still. But one was looking at Reda as she approached. Reda nodded to the human and put her hand to her throat.

"I am not your enemy." Reda said calmly as the human fumbled for his sword. "You are Inquisition." The human stiffened and nodded. "Guard or patrol?" He stared at her and Reda sighed. "Look, I can't help you. I am no healer. Will someone be along to relieve you or do you need to call for help?"

A sharp whistle had Reda stiffening in place as two dozen shadowed forms simply appeared from the brush surrounding the area. Shana was at her side in an instant. The warrior's shield and sword were out and ready as the green and brown garbed humans aimed bows at the pair of dwarves.

"No!" The hurt human in front of Reda croaked. "They... they helped us..."

"Bows down!" Came a command and Reda relaxed a little as a another form appeared out of the brush. This one was a dwarf like Reda and Shana, but she wore Inquisition armor. "Medic!" She called and two of the humans moved to start checking the wounded. "Hollis, what happened?"

"Lieutenant." The hurt guard said weakly as one of the medics worked on him. "Guarding the door as ordered. Bunch of black robed mages came up, ordered us to stand aside. Started throwing spells when we refused."

"Whoever the hell these black robes are, they are popping up all over the place like roaches." The Lieutenant said with a scowl. "Six of you, seven of them...how the hell did you survive?"

"Them." The hurt soldier said softly as he waved a weak hand at Reda and Shana. "Never saw them until the mages started falling. Couldn't see where they were shooting from. But good shooting." He smiled at Reda who returned it.

"On behalf of the Inquisition, thank you." The Lieutenant said with a nod that Reda returned. Then she paused. "Wait... Reda?" Reda nodded and the lieutenant shook her head. "I saw you when we carried you to the healers. You were a mess. They do good work." She said with a smile that Reda shared. She went still as Reda covered the hole in her neck again.

"That they do." Reda agreed aloud and the lieutenant grinned at her.

"Nice." The Inquisition dwarf said with a shake of her head. "Pity they cost so much, but worth every silver." She grimaced as she looked around the gore filled clearing. "What a mess. The boss isn't going to be happy."

"Left one alive." Reda's throat was starting to hurt, so she kept he words short. The lieutenant tensed and Reda waved to where Shana had left the mage. "Disabled."

"Again, thank you." The lieutenant said with a smile. "Griz! Check that scum! Everyone else, secure and search these. See if we can find anything the spymaster can use." A chorus of quiet acknowledgements came and the lieutenant turned to face Reda and Shana and her men fanned out. "You are going Under?" Reda nodded and lowered her hand from her throat. "Then good luck. If you come back to the surface or need assistance, the Inquisition owes you. We owe you. We pay our debts when we can."

Reda nodded with a smile and started for the door that she could see under the waterfall. As promised, it was unlocked and she could see dark tunnels ahead. She set her shoulders and started forward.

She was going home.

"Geez... this is going to make one hell of a report..." Inquisition Lieutenant Lace Harding was tired. Keeping the Hinterlands secure was turning into a full time job in and of itself. She nodded to two of her people as they prepared the single survivor of the guard post and the bodies for transport. More guards had already been sent, but her people would secure until they got here. "Griz? Sarge? What do you have?"

"That mage is a mess, Ma'am." The human Griz hawked and spat, but it wasn't disrespectful. It was just who he was. He was twice her height, but size wasn't everything and no one sane bucked Harding's authority. No one did it more than once anyway. And if you did it anywhere near the sergeant, it would hurt. "If there is single bone unbroken, I ain't able to it."

"My heart bleeds." Harding said with a glower. Griz nodded.

"One thing, Ma'am..." Griz sounded curious now. "No cuts. Whoever done it used a blunt weapon. Both of them women carried swords. So..."

"Blunt?" Harding asked, curious despite herself.

"Yeah." Griz shook his head. "Looks like he got the crap kicked out of him, but it looks more like the after of a bar brawl than a battle." Harding and the sergeant goggled at him and he shrugged. "Don't make a lot of sense, but there it is."

"We are the Inquisition, Griz." Harding scoffed. "Sense need not apply." Both of her subordinates had a laugh at that. "Go on, get back to work. Sarge, you find where the bolts came from?" She had been curious as to how seven mages could be taken so unaware by a crossbowman. She knew the value of concealment, but still...

"I did." The sergeant had been with her for some time. He was generally unflappable. But he looked a bit pale. Harding looked at him and he swallowed. "Ma'am. The men found the mage two hundred yards thataway. I found their hide less than twenty feet from where he was." He waved and Harding nodded. "I don't know what she was using, but it tore through their barriers from two hundred yards. They stayed quiet just like we do. And when one of mages saw them and ported close..." He actually shuddered. "I thought it had to be more than the two of them. It wasn't. Only two sets of tracks. One shooting, one guarding. And yeah, like Griz, I find no sprays of blood from a sword. I did see bruises in the shape of a fist on the prisoner. Whoever beat the snot out of that mage used fists."

"Ouch." Harding said with feeling.

"My thoughts exactly, lieutenant." The sergeant said firmly. "Never want to fight those two. Wouldn't be pretty."

"No." Harding took one last look around the clearing filled with black robed bodies and shuddered a little.

"No, it wouldn't."