((This chapter heading comes from the tavern song Oh, Grey Warden in Dragon Age: Inquisition.))

Chapter 26
Compelled to Forge On

Regis had turned Dima's – finally, Regis knew a name aside from 'the old man' – hidden room into a temporary mortuary. The Raven – what remained of them – had run off to the place Dima had told them about. It had once been a wine cellar, and at first glance, it still was. But behind it there had once been a lab and the central hiding place of the Blackwings. Apparently, Dima had sneaked his way into their ranks the same way Sirendor had. He even had the tattoo, the rose with the wings, on his neck. But then the curse had come and had drained the life out of him before he could achieve anything at all.

With Jandyr, there wasn't really a question what had killed him. The blast of the explosive had been beneath him and Erienne, and he had been unlucky enough to have a major part of the roof fall on his head. Erienne had died from a snapped spine. Dima had uttered regret that he hadn't been there to save her, but Regis was having a hard time sharing it. He was entertaining a different thought entirely regarding his condition. Now the bodies of the two members of the Raven were on the left side of the house again, where they were holding their vigil. In the meantime, Regis decided to be useful for a change.

He had carried the mutant inside, and in the light of the candles, any doubt how Erienne and Jandyr had missed him from their lookout was erased. His skin refracted light. He was tough to notice unless one looked at him directly, even in his death. A closer inspection of his inner organs revealed that he wouldn't have lived long. His heart was way too large, other vital organs like the liver and kidneys almost atrophied. He would have died a slow, painful death. If the Preservers had more mutants like him, killing them was a mercy.

Shani and Dima were watching him closely, both frustrated at their inability to do anything themselves. Svitlana was standing back with a scowl, and Regis couldn't blame her. He knew what she was thinking. He was pretty sure they all were.

'If you're done digging around in that monstrosity's innards, we should talk,' Thaler said. He'd been pacing the room relentlessly. 'Or is that your way of demonstrating your superior impulse control?'

'Of course,' Regis said. 'I have nothing better to do than impress you.' He wiped his hands on his shirt. 'Thaler, I am trying to figure out what The Raven is up against.'

'It's not like they waited for you to tell them.'

'No, but if I felt the need, I could catch up with them. However … well. I doubt they have many more of these things. Probably none.'

'How are they even made?' Dima looked at the dead mutant with wonder.

'We have notes on how they were created,' Shani offered. 'You can look at them, if you want.'

Thaler made an impatient noise. 'I have a much better question. What do we have to do to get you to help Shani?'

'Thaler!' She glared at the Temerian. 'We won't! I won't allow it.'

'I should think not,' Svitlana said sharply. 'You said this isn't what you came for.'

'It wasn't.' Regis looked at Dima. 'How much is left in you? Do you even know?'

'Enough for her.'

'And then you die?'

'And then I die.'

Shani threw her arms in the air. 'You cannot possible want me to accept him trading his life for this!'

'What I want,' Regis said calmly, 'is for you to tell us why you wanted to touch her, Dima. Why give your life for a stranger?'

'Look at me.' Dima turned his gaze from the vampire to Shani. 'Look at me! You have no idea. I've been like this for almost twenty years. For ten I tried to kill myself, but nothing will.'

'It's a mercy for both of you,' Thaler said. 'Let him. He's done with the world anyway.'

'There are people who need you much more, people who would die without help.'

'Hey, vampire. You could once in your life be useful and just hold her while he does whatever it is he does.'

'We will do no such thing. Thaler, let's face it. We have no right to decide. Nor does Svitlana even. This is between Shani and Dima. It's their lives.'

'Well, I can tell you for sure this isn't going to happen while The Raven is out there, possibly getting hurt beyond our skill.' Shani looked at Svitlana. 'And I refuse to accept this if our hostess refuses, no matter how few rights you think she has.'

'You wanted me to euthanize you,' Regis said quietly. 'You made me promise to forgo my right to veto that should you ask me again. Where's the difference?'

'I hope you told her that's never going to happen.'

Regis sighed deeply. 'Thaler, I believe strongly that everyone has the right to decide to end their own lives. Neither Shani nor Dima truly have that option.' The vampire pulled a linen up from where it was folded at the mutant's feet. 'I'll be bringing the body out. Thaler … we aren't helping. No matter what the outcome of this is, it requires consideration. Undisturbed consideration. Let it go.'

Ϡ

It had been a long night, and even though they had all tried to get some sleep in the early hours of the morning, Hirad doubted any of the rest had been more successful than he. Again, they had found a lead at too high a price. For the first time, Hirad wondered if they hadn't managed to get in over their heads. They were only just getting familiar with the language, had no idea about economy and little about politics. At least right now, they were together.

When The Unknown banged his fist against the door to the abandoned-looking wine cellar, Hirad didn't really expect any reaction at all. But after only a few moments, the door was opened by two guards. 'Good day,' The Unknown said. 'We want to talk to Jonas. Right now.'

'To Jonas? He's not here.'

'Then you might want to tell us where he is. He wanted an answer from me. I have his answer. And I won't wait another hour.'

The two guards exchanged a glance. Hirad decided not to give them time to think about anything. He reached out with both arms and pulled them into the open. 'You go alert whoever you want. We're taking a look in there.' He didn't need to check if the others were behind him. He knew. 'Well,' he said. 'If there's monsters, they're Will and Sirendor's to kill with their silver weapons. We help keep them in check. Clear?' He glanced behind himself at the two men who were so far the only ones with silver blades. 'You two'll be all right?'

'Oh, trust you me, I want to kill something and at this point, I don't care much what it looks like.' Will looked drawn, but his voice shook with fury. Thraun had changed back at some point during the night, and he was quieter than in a while. The little man kept looking at him with barely veiled concern. Also, the pair had known Jandyr and Erienne a lot longer than the rest of The Raven. This was terrible for them all, but for Thraun and Will it was a part of their old lives lost to them. Thraun had been especially fond of Erienne. If history had taught Hirad anything, it was that he didn't handle loss well. The barbarian was infinitely grateful that he had Will. If he didn't, this would have destroyed him.

The wine cellar stretched on, leading deep into the ground. The roof was supported with strong wooden beams. Once another corridor led off to the side, but other than that, the tunnel moved straight ahead, away from the city. At last, it ended before a locked door that didn't stand a chance against Will.

The thief was also the first to step through it. He halted so abruptly that The Unknown almost walked into him. When they followed, it became abundantly clear why he had stopped.

In hindsight, Hirad always wondered what he had expected. Certainly a laboratory. Maybe something that vaguely resembled a kitchen, only with odd contraptions that had no meaning to him. He had not expected a funeral parlour. Ilkar, next to him, was pale. Lips slightly parted, he walked to one of the tables and pulled away the cloth that hid the body. 'Ugh. Failed attempt at mutation, I would say.' He pulled away one eyelid and shrugged. 'Not a medic, I'm afraid. Would be interesting to know what exactly killed him. But the mutations are visible. There's an inner eyelid, and the skin feels … harder is a bad word, but more robust.' He moved to the next table and removed the cover, but only for a second. 'Out,' he said sharply. 'Right now.'

The Unknown was looking at a book with notes in it. 'Maybe we should …'

'Grab it, if you must. But get out. And close that door.'

'Ilkar …'

'Unknown. Plague. Move.'

The big man made an almost hasty retreat and Ilkar slammed the door shut behind them. 'There was another path. Let's try there.' The big man paused briefly. 'What are our chances of being infected?'

Ilkar shook his head. 'Next to nothing, after that minute or what it was.' He shivered. 'Gods burning, what sort of person does that?'

The Unknown's expression was detached but hard. 'One that needs to be stopped.'

The other path did lead to a laboratory, and it looked every bit the way Hirad had expected. Ilkar took a walk around it while The Unknown studied the book he had taken from the room with the corpses. 'Well, it seems we've found the place, and it hasn't been abandoned. We … Not again.' The ground shook from an explosion, bits of earth breaking from the roof above them. 'Question,' Ilkar said briskly. 'Do we take the bait and go back to find out where that came from, exactly?'

'No. We wait. This room is defensible.' The Unknown looked up from his book. 'This seems to be what we were looking for. A record of targets and experiments both. Thaler will want to have it.'

'Have you found Trina Vesely?'

'Not yet. But I have found that Jonas apparently murdered whoever led the Blackwings. After that, it's a different hand and it mentions him a couple of times. Before that, it's a little less wordy, just names, dates, and methods of execution.' He slammed the book shut, drew his sword and positioned himself at the door. The others fell into line. As if on cue, the door open and a handful of guards poured in, Jonas at their head.

'This is very unfortunate.' The young man looked, to Hirad, as if he was about to throw a tantrum. How he could have exactly his father's face but look so completely different was a mystery. 'You could have asked me anything about our work once you agreed to work with us.'

'You really think we'd be part of this?' Hirad asked, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the corpses.

'You don't understand. We need an edge if we are to stand against mages. Alchemy, mutations, all of that.'

'All I hear from you is plans for more premeditated murder,' The Unknown said. His voice was firm, but Hirad knew him too well. He was shaken by everything that was being done here, and that it was his own son doing it made it infinitely worse. 'This ends now, Jonas. Surrender your weapons and no-one needs to get hurt.'

'If you think I'm giving up all my work, you are insane.' Jonas's face showed no expression. He wasn't even angry, he felt nothing at all, it seemed. 'Very unfortunate indeed. What assets you could have been.'

'You sent an assassin after Sirendor and he had Erienne and Jandyr killed,' Thraun said. 'I'd prefer if you don't surrender, if it's all the same to you.'

'Ah. I wondered where your mage is.' Jonas shrugged. 'Makes that easier. Get them.'

Ϡ

It was a relief, in a way, to be in a fight. And while Ilkar had never been entirely happy to use a sword, it was no longer an option to do otherwise. He certainly knew he had no talent for archery, despite whatever stereotypes about elves there were. Jonas's guards, that much was clear, had excellent training. The Raven could take them, no doubt, but they had to be focussed. And while the Preservers almost certainly didn't have mages, they had alchemists.

Ilkar evaded a blow from one of the helmed men and followed by stepping into his guard and striking at an angle. 'Just what did you blow up before, huh? Scared to enter yourselves because you could get infected? Or did you cut off another way out'

The guard wasn't stupid enough to let him goad him into recklessness. 'Better you than us,' he said simply. 'Your leader is a fool to ignore our offered hand.'

'Yeah. He might have done that before you started murdering some of us.' Ilkar was going to finish his opponent, when the wall to his left fell inwards. Both he and the guard jumped out of the way. Hirad, who had just sunk his sword into one guard's shoulder, was a lot closer to the small explosion, and was hurled off his feet by a piece of rock. One of the shelves had apparently blocked a passage, and now a gaping hole in the wall revealed more guards. But they were not the problem.

Jonas had been busy with Will, but stepped smartly out of the way at the commotion he must have been waiting for and lunged at Hirad instead. Ilkar watched as if in slow motion as his weapon flashed and buried itself deep in the barbarian's side.

The Unknown had seen it, too. Eyes wide with shock, he made a nonsense of his own opponent's guard and cut him almost in half. With one quick step, he reached Jonas. 'That,' he said, 'was your last mistake.'

'No! Father, please!' The entire room froze, to Ilkar's eternal surprise including The Unknown. He saw the brief battle, saw his resolve forming. But before he could so much as answer, a knife came flying and buried itself in Jonas's throat. The Unknown let him fall unceremoniously. Jonas was dead before he hit the ground. The Unknown kept his fighting stance.

'So. Anyone else? Or are you done?' And one by one, the guards stood down and, when The Raven didn't move to attack, all but fled from the cellar. The Unknown's face was a mask of pain. 'Wise choice. Thraun, I can hardly ask you that, but Hirad needs Regis and fast.'

'Going.' The shapechanger left the room.

'Ilkar?'

'He's alive,' the elf said. He'd dropped to his knees at the barbarian's side the moment he knew the battle was over. He'd put his pendant on him – this time, soon enough. 'It's bad and he needs help, but he should be okay. Gods, he has to be.'

The Unknown pulled the knife from Jonas's throat and looked at his body. 'How could you, Jonas? What the hell went wrong with you?' He closed his eyes and shook his head as if trying to get rid of a very persistent fly. 'Your knife, Will?'

'I … ah.' The little man took the proffered blade and looked away.

'You thought I couldn't do it. I don't blame you.' He swallowed. 'For a moment, I wasn't sure myself.' Again, he shook his head. 'Will, please take the book back to Thaler.' He cleaned his sword and walked over to Hirad. 'Can I move him, Ilkar?'

The Julatsan had peeled Hirad out of his leather and made a crude bandage out of the shirt underneath it to ease the blood flow. 'I think so.'

The Unknown bent down and lifted Hirad's unconscious form as if he weighed nothing. 'Let's get out of here.'