The sentinel gave Solas a slightly irritated look. "Half-brother."

Kathan's eyes widened. "Wait a bit, I know you." He shook his head. "Ya helped me fight Samson." He nodded. "An you was the one what told Abelas ta help us."

"An ancient and well-hidden passphrase..." The sentinel nodded. "From the mouth of a qunari..." He turned to look at Solas. "With you standing a few feet behind." He turned his gaze back to Kathan. "What else has he told you?"

"If'n he's your..." Kathan glanced at Solas. "Then is it safe ta say he knows about all the shit?"

"Not all, but close enough." Solas nodded, and looked the sentinel over before taking a breath. "I appreciate your..." He shook his head. "Discretion."

"I am well aware that you will kill to keep your secrets." The sentinel narrowed his eyes. "Which is why this particular situation intrigued me."

"Afore we go much further, somethin I need ta know." Kathan frowned, taking in again the marks on the sentinel's face. "Did Mythal send ya?"

"If she did, what makes you think I would share that information?" The sentinel raised an eyebrow.

"Well, um..." Kathan shrugged. "Fair point. Alright, come on in, grab a chair. Wine?"

"No, thank you." The sentinel shook his head. He started to walk toward them, then stopped a couple paces away. He frowned, then nodded to himself. And then, before Kathan could react, the sentinel whirled and punched Solas across the face.

Solas stumbled and fell backward, blood streaming from his nose. He wiped some of it away, his fingers glowing as he magically healed the damage. "Feel better?" He looked up at the other elf.

He considered the question for a moment, then nodded again. "A little." The sentinel extended a hand to pull Solas back to his feet.

"Well..." Kathan rubbed at one of his horns. "Alright then."

#

Cassandra looked over the report on Skyhold's defenses again, and sighed. The fortress was defensible, but with so few people they wouldn't be able to hold out long if they were attacked.

"Frowning at the report isn't going to change it." Brehan shook his head at her. "Cullen tried that already."

"Perhaps if we..." She frowned.

"Lethallin, I do not mean to denigrate your capabilities, but there is a reason Cullen is the general here."

She sighed. "Our forces march as though the path were uphill and covered in snow."

"And Corypheus is no doubt plotting against the Inquisitor as we speak." Brehan nodded. "You cannot protect him if you drive yourself to exhaustion, Cassandra. And it is not as though he is incapable of protecting himself."

"He once set himself on fire." Cassandra folded her arms.

"He insisted that was supposed to happen."

"I am not talking about the occurrence with the potion." She shook her head.

"He has set himself on fire more than once?" Brehan raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have any idea what it is like dealing with someone who insists on doing things like leaping upon dragons?" Cassandra glared.

"Well..." Brehan nodded. "Yes." He gave her a pointed look. "More than one person, in fact."

"I..." Cassandra shook her head.

"Cassandra..." Brehan smiled. "Why don't you go check on him and reassure yourself he's not getting into trouble without you?"

"What if..."

"I will alert you the moment any darkspawn or archdemons are in the vicinity."

She made a disgusted sound before stalking off, and heard him laugh in response.

#

"I thought you had a barrier up." Kathan glanced at Solas as he sat down.

Solas sighed. "I did." He waved at the sentinel. "Tisallan is a mi'nehn, a dirth'ena enasalin. Bypassing barriers is something at which he happens to have some skill."

"Ah." Kathan blinked, then gave the sentinel another appraising look. "It was you, weren't it? What recovered the orb in the first place?"

"It was." Tisallan nodded to him.

"You..." Solas looked startled. He shook his head. "Why?"

Tisallan gave him a level look before turning his attention back to Kathan. "How did he come to tell you who he was?"

"He didn't, exactly." Kathan leaned back in his chair. "I called him on his shit, and he fessed up. We, uh..." Kathan shrugged. "Talked it over, and came to an understandin."

"Kathan will help me with dealing with the evanuris in a more permanent fashion." Solas nodded.

"I see." Tisallan gestured at Kathan's hand. "Has he mentioned that mark is going to kill you?"

"Yeah, he's workin on fixin that." Kathan tilted his head. "You said it made you curious, but..." He frowned. "What did ya expect comin here to accomplish?"

"I am dirth'ena enasalin. Without knowledge, victory is unlikely. Corypheus slaughtered his way through our number. You..." Tisallan nodded to Kathan. "Did not. And you..." His lips twitched just slightly. "Called the Dread Wolf on his shit."

"I'm seein a couple signs ya two ain't on the best of terms."

"He can be..." Tisallan shrugged. "Something of an asshole."

"Heh." Kathan grinned. "Ya ain't the first to call him that."

"Actually, Inquisitor..." Solas shook his head and chuckled. "He was." He took a deep breath. "Tisallan, I..."

"Abelas guessed from the fact that you bear no marks that you were tied somehow to Fen'Harel, and has gone hunting one of your refuges. I gave him enough information to ensure he finds it. You should likely collect the fool and his followers, before he marches himself off a cliff." Tisallan twitched a shoulder.

"Why were you there at all?" Solas frowned. "You were Sulanhven, not sentinel."

"The Sulanhven were gone, and the Amber Path was shattered by the Veil. The Vir'Abelasan remained. And..." He sighed.

"Enara." Solas was quiet for a moment. "Enara was there. Tisallan, I..."

"Venavis. Lasa tel'abelas e ar tu na'din." Tisallan's voice was flat. He turned to look at Kathan once more. "I offer my skills to the Inquisition, if you will have them."

"Yeah." Kathan nodded. "Yeah. Welcome aboard. Um..." He glanced at Solas. "Though I am gonna have to ask ya ta keep quiet about..."

"You need not worry on that front, Inquisitor. He understands. It is who he is." Solas nodded, then met Kathan's eyes. "His name means silence."

#

"Kathan I..." Cassandra stopped halfway up the stairs. He was on his way down, accompanied by Solas and... "Who is that?"

"Oh, Cassandra." Kathan gestured at the sentinel behind him. "This is Tisallan. He just joined up."

"Where, exactly, did he come from?" Her eyes widened.

"Uh..." Kathan glanced over his shoulder.

"Arlathan."

"Right." Kathan nodded and turned back to her. "Arlathan."

"I meant..." She gritted her teeth and fought the urge to punch him. She turned to look at Solas instead. "How did he get here?"

Solas glanced back over his shoulder at the sentinel.

"I walked."

"He walked." Solas nodded to Cassandra.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes. Then she stalked up the stairs and grabbed Kathan by one of his horns before looking at the sentinel. "Follow us." Then she turned, grabbed Solas by an ear, and began heading down the stairs.

#

"Cassandra, what is..." Josephine's eyes widened as she took in the scene in front of her. She immediately gestured at a nearby runner. "Get Cullen and Leliana." The runner fled. "And Morrigan." Josephine called after him.

Kathan tried to pry Cassandra's fingers off his horn. "Ya know them things don't grow back."

She tugged him toward the war room before letting him and Solas go, then stalked onward to open the doors. She held the door open and glared at him. "Get inside."

He went, rubbing at his horn. And if he was honest, he'd have to admit that he was a little impressed Tisallan had managed to keep a straight face through the trip.

Leliana was the first to enter. "Josephine what..." Her eyes went to Tisallan. "How did he get in here?"

"How did who -" Cullen said as he entered behind her. He stopped short.

Morrigan entered a few heartbeats later. She merely raised an eyebrow at Tisallan before turning toward Josephine. "A runner said you wished to see me?"

"Did you know anything about this?" Leliana gestured at Tisallan before turning to Morrigan.

Her eyes half closed for a moment, and her head tilted to one side. Then she reopened her eyes and looked toward Leliana. "If he was here to harm anyone, he would have already done so and been on his way."

"Yeah, he does this glowy-sword thing. Kinda like Silky, only they last for longer than..." Kathan caught Cassandra glaring at him again. "Rose, he's the guy what helped us take down Samson, remember?"

"I..." Cassandra blinked, then looked at Tisallan again. "Yes. I..." She nodded. "He did."

"Tisallan here just joined up." Kathan shrugged. "And considering he got past the Venatori, got here, got through our defenses, an got into my quarters without anybody noticin, I'm thinkin he's got some skills maybe we could use."

"Inquisitor, forgive me..." Cullen took a deep breath. "But a very short time ago his people were killing ours."

"Yeah, but we sorted out that misunderstandin." Kathan turned toward Tisallan. "Didn't we?"

"'Tis not as though the Inquisition introduced themselves before entering their territory." Morrigan nodded.

"Lord Tisallan..." Josephine took a deep breath.

"I am no lord." Tisallan clasped his hands behind his back.

"Er..." Josephine nodded. "Tisallan, I am sure you will be a valuable asset to the Inquisition. Do please let me know if I can do anything to make you more comfortable here."

"I would like to know how you got in." Leliana nodded. "We should adjust our security measures."

"I..." Cullen slowly nodded, and a smile briefly came to his face. "Really would like to be present when Brehan finds out about this."

"Alright." Kathan nodded. "So that's settled. Now we just need to find Cory-" The mark on his hand abruptly sparked, and then green lit the sky to the south. They all turned to see the Breach back in the sky. Kathan glanced down at his hand, then pointed. "Found him."

"Corypheus reopened the Breach?" Leliana shook her head. "But why?"

"I reckon so I have ta head back up there and close it afore it gets ta swallowin the world again."

"But that's madness." Josephine shook her head. "Wouldn't it kill him as well?"

"Inquisitor, we..."

"Inquisitor." Brehan came through the door. "Darkspawn are approaching. In force."

"Well." Kathan took a deep breath. "Shit." He turned toward Cullen. "We don't have enough forces ta send with me or enough ta defend against an invasion, let alone both." Kathan made a growling sound. "And Coryfits knows it."

"Inquisitor, there is something you should know," Tisallan said. Brehan turned toward the sound of his voice, and his eyes nearly fell out of his head.

"What's that?" Kathan raised an eyebrow.

Tisallan held out a hand, and a small mote of light appeared in it. The wisp abruptly flew out the window. "I did not come to Skyhold alone."

"Generally Worried, Grandpa here is all yours. Ruffles, get what healers we have organized and let folks know we are about to have trouble. Lovebirds, get a map of the field so we can get our forces inta the best positions. Rose, Shiny, Scratches, let's grab a team an go save the fuckin world." Kathan started for the door.

#

Cullen stared down the ramparts. He'd expected maybe a dozen sentinels, but nearly fifty of the armored elves lined the walls. What soldiers remained looked intimidated by their presence. He couldn't quite blame them. He saw Brehan walking toward him, and then stop abruptly in his tracks and turn toward the west. Cullen walked over. "Brehan?"

Brehan closed his eyes, then shook his head. Then he shook it again. A small smile came to his face. "Slight change to your tactics, Commander." He gestured. "Skyhold is the anvil."

"And the hammer?" Cullen raised an eyebrow.

"The Wardens." Brehan pointed to the west. "They are moving into position, and will hit the darkspawn from behind."

"Right." He immediately turned and headed to where Tisallan stood. Brehan followed. Cullen nodded to the templar. "Are your people familiar with the battle tactic known as the hammer and anvil..." He trailed off at the look Tisallan gave him, then shrugged. "Right then." He gestured at Kels. "Pass the word down the line." The runner immediately headed off. Cullen took a deep breath, then glanced back at Tisallan. "Any questions?"

"That woman, earlier..." Tisallan nodded. "Cassandra?"

"What about her?" Cullen blinked.

"Is she single?"

#

The demon had raked its claws across the soldier by the time Cassandra could close the distance. She used her shield to throw the demon back, then ran the thing through. Next to her, Kathan moved almost faster than she could follow. He flung a knife that took a demon in the chest, then moved past, retrieving the dagger as the demon began to disintegrate.

"I knew you would come." Corypheus stood in the ruined archway. Red power glowed around and within him.

"It ends here, Corypheus." Kathan straightened, a blade in each hand.

"And so it shall." Lightning seemed to crackle around Corypheus's hands. The ground shook, and Cassandra realized that Corypheus was using his magic to lift them into the air.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harding and a few of the others fall from the edge to the ground below. Solas and Blackwall managed to keep their footing. Cole rushed forward to skewer a demon that thought to attack Dorian before the mage could get back on his feet. Sera was firing arrows ineffectually at Corypheus as the lifted rocks took them further from her. She saw no sign of Iron Bull, Vivienne, or Varric. She could only hope they were holding their own against the demons.

Corypheus gestured at Kathan. "You have been most successful in foiling my plans, but let us not forget what you are. A thief, in the wrong place at the wrong time. An interloper. A gnat." The massive darkspawn spread his hands in a grandiose gesture. "We shall prove here, once and for all, which of us is worthy of godhood."

"I didn't come here to become a god." Kathan stood his ground.

"You dare."

"Ya got no idea." Kathan actually smirked.

Above Corypheus, the dragon rose, looming over the ruins. It started to leap at them.

And then another dragon hit it from the side.

#

Kathan headed up the stairs, following the fleeing Corypheus. Around them, the dragons fought through the air, clawing at each other. He couldn't help but be a little worried for Morrigan. She'd been a dragon for about fifteen minutes, while the other one had been a dragon all its life. The odds weren't entirely in her favor.

Still, she did pretty well. Right up until Corypheus threw a spell at her. "Morrigan's down." He growled. "Shit. She better be alright." Vivienne and Dorian were down there somewhere, and he knew Varric had healing potions. "Get the dragon before it gets its wings back on."

He felt the tingle on his skin he'd grown to recognize as a barrier, and exchanged a brief look with Cassandra before charging. They split as the dragon turned toward them to hit it from different angles. Together they spun in, hitting it simultaneously before it could decide which of them to go after.

"Here." Rainier yelled as Solas flung a fireball. The dragon turned toward them. Kathan took advantage of the opening to rake his daggers along the dragon's underbelly. It roared and leaped back, allowing Cassandra to cut a bloody gash in its neck. It turned on her, and Kathan leapt, coming down with both his daggers in the dragon's throat. He stabbed again, and it started convulsing.

As it fell, a glimmer of red light flew back to Corypheus's position.

#

Cullen took the head off a hurlock attempting to scale the walls. To his left, Brehan wielded an axe as tall as he was to great effect. To his right, three shrieks headed toward the young archers on the wall, and then Tisallan was there, a glowing blade in each hand. The elven warrior spun as flames seemed to flicker over the enchanted blades, burning even as they cut. The shrieks fell. All across the ramparts, the elven sentinels moved, using their magic to enhance their attacks. Fire and ice glowed upon blades, and spells were hurled at the darkspawn below.

And at the other end of the field, the Wardens were doing their part. Caught between two legendary forces, the darkspawn really didn't stand a chance. Cullen found himself smiling.

#

Cassandra followed a pace behind Kathan. Corypheus was shouting from the heights. "Let it end here. Let the skies boil. Let the world be rent asunder."

"He talks too damn much." Kathan shook his head.

"Well..." Cassandra leapt over a broken stair. "Let's go shut him up."

"Anyone ever told you that you're gorgeous when you're savin the world?"

#

Kathan flung a knife, striking Corypheus in the hand. Solas flung boulders made out of what appeared to be the Fade itself, knocking into the magister's barrier. Cassandra and Blackwall flanked Corypheus as Kathan continued making a nice big target of himself. The potion he'd doused himself made flames dance around him as it quickened his movements. He flung another dagger, opening a gash in Corypheus's face.

The darkspawn stumbled as his magic began to flutter rapidly. "Not like this. I have walked the halls of the Golden City, crossed the ages..." He moved his hands over the orb. "Dumat. Ancient Ones. I beseech you. If you exist - if you ever truly existed - aid me now."

He could feel the Fade vibrating through the orb, echoing through the Veil around them. Kathan focused through his mark, matching power to power. Then he yanked the orb out of Corypheus's hand. The darkspawn stumbled and fell forward.

Above them, the Breach swirled. Kathan focused, wrapping his will around the orb to contain it within itself. The vibrations shifted, harmonizing between orb and Veil. Then he drew through the orb as he focused the mark against the hole in the sky.

It closed, leaving only a faint glow in the heavens. The orb hovered above his hand as he turned toward Corypheus. He could it, like waves crashing against a shore in time with his own heartbeat. He touched its power again, feeling the current of power, and turned it upon Corypheus.

The magister's form froze in place, a statue of white stone. Kathan clenched his fist, and it shattered.