(6 Months Later...)
She was running, boots crunching against the loose pavement beneath her feet. The moist air from the lake filled her lungs with the scent of oil and rotten sea-life. She hated the docks. Haven's pathetic excuse for a shipping yard was more of a slum. A stark contrast to the quaint, small town comfort farther inland.
The warehouses were scarcely lit and the moon was waning overhead. There was hardly enough light to see the narrow docks that jutted out into the lake, but she wasn't looking out into the water. No, her prey had slipped between the stacks of shipping containers towering around the derelict buildings.
She rounded the corner slowly, the blue shimmer of a barrier springing up to coat her form. Magic flew through the air. Ice collided and crawled along her barrier, looking for a way through, before dissipating into a burst of snow flurries in front of her feet. She looked past the failed attack and saw the remnants of magic staining the fingertips of a fleeing mage several yards away. He was almost out of range and Elera quickly shifted the air surrounding her, letting invisible waves of magic carry her forward in a burst of blurred speed. As her feet slid to a stop she threw up a disruption field and watched as the escapee was caught instantly in its effect. His back arched as the field weakened and slowed him to a crawl.
Elera raced toward him, unaffected by her own field. The floundering mage began to react, but he was too slow and the Dalish elf let her fist connect roughly with his jaw. He fell to his knees and Elera helped his face into the brunt of her own knee before letting him collapse in a heap on his back. She gave him no time to react or catch his breath as she dropped her weight onto his chest with her knee just under his chin.
"What did you sell that Templar?" She demanded.
"Y-you're a mage!" He grunted, surprise clear on his face. Elera leaned into her knee, putting pressure against his windpipe.
"The Templar, what did you sell him. Tell me!" She repeated. The mage beneath her made a croaked sound in his throat and she eased off enough to let him speak.
"Why do you care? Whose side are you on?" He rasped.
"Mine!" She hissed. There was a metal cuff clasped to her wrist. The jewelry glinted in the dim light and then shone as runes began to glow of their own power. Magic sprang into her fingers and she curled her hand into the air as if reaching for something. The air shimmered around her hand and a blade formed of a greenish light began to manifest as if she were unsheathing it from the Fade itself. The blade hummed against her palm as she took hold of it fully and lowered the glowing blade down in front of her captive's eyes. "Know what this is?" She asked him. She could see his eyes were large and afraid and even a little in awe. "Spirit blade. Pretty rare these days, I'm told."
The mage licked his lips. "But, you're one of The People." He indicated, using the old elvish reference. Elera found it almost amusing considering he hardly seemed Dalish.
"So?" She sneered. "You think because we're both elven mages that I'm supposed to go easy on you?" She brandished the blade against his cheek so that he could feel the heat coming off the magical weapon. The length and width of the blade seemed to adjust to her needs. It was hardly one of the broadswords of the Arcane Warriors or Knight Enchanters of legend. Hers was more akin to a modest rapier or long dagger blade. "Tell me what you sold that Templar."
"L-lyrium! It was lyrium." He sniveled.
"Bullshit!" She adjusted the point of the blade, angled it so that it was right in front of his eye. It must have been a blinding thing to the other mage. "Lyrium isn't red!"
"This lyrium is!" He retorted swiftly. "S-sposed to be stronger than the blue shit. I swear!"
Elera made a disgusted face, her lips pulled back in a snarl. She didn't lower the blade, but didn't move it either. "Who are you working for? Who's your supplier?" She demanded.
"I-I don't know."
She pressed the tip of the blade against the soft flesh just beneath his eye. There was a faint searing sound a second before he cried out.
"They just tell me when and where to pick it up! I don't know who they are! I swear! Please! I don't know! I swear it!" He screamed and Elera pulled back the blade, revealing a tiny triangle of burned flesh just beneath the mages eye.
"Where's your stash? Do you have more?"
"No." He was quick to answer now. "That was my last."
"When's your next pick-up?"
He swallowed hard. Sweat was beginning to bead across his brow and upper lip. "I-I don't know." The spirit blade pulsed, humming softly and the mage flinched. "I swear! The place and time changes. It's always different."
This was going nowhere. He was obviously at the lowest rung of the ladder. The petty dealer. No concept of anything beyond making their next sale. Elera stared down at his slender, elven face. His eyes were rimmed red; bloodshot. She wasn't sure if it was from stress or…
"You using?" She asked. He shook his head as much as he could with the blade close by.
"The red shit? No way! It makes those Templars go crazy. I-I don't even like having a lot of it to push at once, you know? It sings to you. S-scary shit." He was trembling.
"Yeah, I've seen what it does. It destroys people and you're selling it to them!" The blade thrummed, the magic growing brighter. The mage squirmed beneath her knee. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put you out of your misery right now?"
"That's enough!" Cassandra's strong voice echoed out from somewhere behind them.
Elera kept the blade humming close to the mages skin another moment longer before the magical weapon shimmered out of existence. The glow faded from the bracelet she wore to harness the spirit that conjured the blade. In one smooth movement she rose off her captive and jerked him to his feet. Elera pulled a pair of the magic nullifying cuffs from her belt. They were incredibly similar to what she'd worn after the coma, only these were meant for both wrists like handcuffs.
"You didn't cuff him?" Cassandra sounded almost appalled.
Elera shrugged. "I had it under control." She clamped the cuffs into place and almost felt the vibration of the grounding circle taking effect over the mage in custody.
"You're being reckless!" Cassandra accused. Elera spun to face her partner, jerking the other mage with her. Two Templar officers stood just behind the Seeker and Elera pushed the elven mage toward them.
"He's all yours boys." She quipped before looking back at the Nevarran. "Relax. I said I had it and I did."
Cassandra's face scrunched up in frustration. "He is a mage. What if something had happened? What if he had succumbed to possession? What if-"
"Then I would have handled it!" Elera all but shouted.
"With your blade?" Cassandra sounded disappointed, but sighed and dismissed it with a pinch between her eyes. "Did you find out anything?"
Elera put her hands on her hips, watching as the Templars took the mage into custody. They were reading him his rights and walking him toward their cruiser. Elera could see the lights flashing even from where they stood.
"He's too low ranking. Doesn't know much." She sighed, still watching the Templars. "Says its lyrium." Elera shook her head. "He doesn't have any stashed. Said it creeps him out. Sings to him even. But, he's supposed to get a call with the next drop off."
"Truly?" Cassandra murmured. "Officer!" She called out to the departing Templars. "I want his cell phone confiscated and processed as soon as possible." The Seeker turned back to the Dalish elf and took in a deep, long breath. "Red Lyrium? I thought it was a myth."
"Ah, that's probably just what they're calling it on the street. Makes it sound scarier. Doesn't mean anything." Elera reassured her, but something gnawed at the back of the elf's mind.
"Maker, let us hope you are right."
Elera glanced up at Cassandra. "What about you? What happened with the Templar he sold it to?"
Cassandra sighed. "We arrested him for possession of illegal substances."
"Of course." Elera smiled.
Cassandra turned a little into the light and it was the first time Elera noticed the small cut across the Seeker's cheek. The skin looked a little bruised and swollen too. The Dalish elf winced.
"He did not come quietly." Cassandra added dryly.
"Well, that's not unusual I guess. They've all shown signs of heightened aggression, paranoia and adrenaline."
"He will probably be taken back to Val Royeaux. Apparently, he was discharged from the order a month ago for conduct unbefitting an officer." Cassandra went on.
Elera scoffed. "Like that doesn't sound suspicious."
"I did manage to get this, though." Cassandra brandished an evidence bag containing an even tinier bag and held it toward the elf's face. It was hard to make out the contents in the dim light but suddenly Elera saw a red glint and she gasped.
"He still had it on him!"
Cassandra nodded. "Probably one of the reasons he put up such a fight."
"This is great! Now Dagna can analyze it outside of a bloodstream and maybe we can get some answers." Elera looked at the little red crystals sitting innocently in their tiny bag. "Do you hear anything? Is it singing to you?" She asked, remembering what the dealer had said earlier.
Cassandra shook her head. "That is absurd. No, why should I hear singing?"
"Something the mage said." Elera shrugged as Cassandra put the evidence away.
"We should talk with Cullen."
Elera nodded in agreement. Even if Cullen himself had kicked the lyrium dependency, it was still a standard issue enhancement drug for the Templar order. As a Knight-Commander, his life had become about paperwork and politics rather than active duty. He was one of the few in command who took an active role in the wellbeing of his officers. He made sure their dosage was carefully monitored and should a Templar be released from duty, retire or show signs that they were becoming an addict, Cullen made sure they obtained the help they needed to be free from the drug for good.
In six months Elera had remembered a lot about the Knight-Commander. He was a good man, human or otherwise.
"Yeah, he needs to keep a close watch on anyone going through the rehab program or hell, probably people on the force at this point." Elera scrubbed a hand down her face. She'd remembered so much, enough to go back to work, enough to piece together some semblance of her old life, and what was waiting for her was almost too unbelievable. Civil rights for elves, Templars going mad, Dorian going back home to Tevinter. She was waiting for the sky to fall any day.
"When was the last time you slept?" Cassandra shifted gears almost too fast for the Dalish mage to follow.
"What? I'm fine." Elera huffed out a deep breath and rubbed the back of her neck.
Cassandra lifted one perfectly arched eyebrow. "That wasn't the question."
"I'm fine, Cassandra. I'm not tired."
The Nevarran crossed her arms over her chest. Elera lowered her arms and rolled her eyes.
"I have not seen you sleep more than an hour in months. You need rest. You're no good to us like this."
"I'm. Fine." Elera spoke slowly and through clenched teeth.
"You're. Not." Cassandra matched her growl with a snarl of her own. "What if your hand had not been so steady with that blade of yours?"
"One less asshole."
"What if you cannot maintain a barrier?"
"Not going to happen."
"It's just sleep, Elera. You need to rest. Everyone does. There is nothing wrong with—"
"I don't want to dream!" Elera shouted suddenly and then lower repeated. "I don't want to dream, okay?" She looked into her friend's face and saw it shift from aggravation to concern.
"Are you hearing voices? Demons? We are supposed to be immune to possession but if you are concerned about—"
"No, no, nothing like that, Cass." She was whispering now. "I just don't want to dream about him."
Cassandra's eyes widened at first, but quickly narrowed to angry slits. "You did not tell me he was invading your dreams. That is a first-degree felony. That son-of-a—"
"No, Cass, wait, no. That's not what I meant." She touched her friends arm gingerly. "It's nothing like that." She smiled weakly and sighed. "I just dream about him. He doesn't make me dream about him. It's all me. My dreams."
The Nevarran blinked once, twice, tried to keep the pity off her face and failed. "Oh." She choked on that single word and the elf shrugged.
"I didn't want to bother you with it."
"Do you…do you want to talk about it?" Cassandra hedged.
Elera shook her head. It would have been too confusing for Cassandra anyway and she didn't want to frustrate her roommate any more than she usually did.
"It's okay. Glad you're looking out for me." She nudged her with her shoulder and the harsh lines of the Nevarran's face softened.
"Me too."
Elera smiled gently and realized Cassandra wasn't going to let it go. "Alright, I'll get some sleep."
"Thank you." Cassandra replied.
The Dalish mage rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, let's go. It smells like Kirkwall out here."