Chapter 38: The Forgotten
Ana's first duty as Inquisitor was not a pleasant one, but as with so many things in her life since the Conclave, it was something that was necessary…
Not that necessity made anything certain, nothing about this was certain. What was going to happen hinged on what she heard in the next few moments? What the boy told her, and what she felt in her gut.
In the end that was what mattered now, the others had put the Inquisition in her hands. She did not wish to be a tyrant, but at the same time she did not want to be doormat either.
If everyone expected her to lead, then that is what she intended to do.
She would lead.
She would rule.
After the impromptu ceremony had dispersed, she had been pulled aside by Vivienne; the First Enchanter seemed pleased that it was Ana who now led them, perhaps she felt that her appointment would aid her, that it would make Ana more open to fulfilling her desires for the future.
For the moment, Ana was just trying to get her bearings, what she had accepted was no small thing.
She needed to remember who she was, to make sure that she kept both feet firmly planted on the ground.
She had no desire to let the power that Cassandra and the others had offered her consume her.
She smiled slightly.
Speaking of the Seeker, she was following after her and Vivienne, Solas at her side. The elf looked concerned about something, whatever it was; she would do what she could to give all her allies a fair hearing.
Vivienne glared at the approaching apostate.
"I had hoped to speak with you alone, my dear," she cooed, "But it seems that that will not happen."
The elf bowed slightly to Ana.
"My apologies for interrupting, my friend," he said to her, "But I feared that the First Enchanter might bend your ear to what she wants before you have all the facts."
The circle mage smiled venomously.
"And what facts are those, darling? Do you not think that the Inquisitor needs to know that we have a dire threat in our midst?"
"Do you truly feel so threatened, Lady Vivienne?" he asked.
The mage frowned.
"I merely see the truth, something that you choose to ignore. I…"
"Enough," Cassandra said with a sigh, "Bickering like this gets us nowhere."
Ana glanced back and forth between the mages, she could not have said it better herself.
"Okay, you two," she sighed, "Let's hear it, what is this threat that has you both so rattled?"
It was Cassandra that answered her.
"This is about Cole, Inquisitor," the Seeker said, "He has been travelling with us since we fled Haven, as you know."
Ana nodded, so far so good, but that still did not explain the near argument between Solas and Vivienne.
"We thought Cole a mage, given the rather…unusual abilities he possesses."
Ana blinked, she remembered how the boy interacted with Chancellor Roderick, unusual perhaps, but necessarily threatening.
"What kind of abilities?" she asked.
"Cole can make people forget about him, and even fail to notice his presence, even if he is standing right next to them," Solas added, "These are not the abilities of a mage, however."
Ana swallowed hard.
"Then…what is he, if he is not a mage?"
Vivienne scowled at the elf.
"It is a demon, Inquisitor," she spat, "This…thing that we call Cole is a demon from the fade."
Solas' ears twitched with irritation.
"He is a spirit, Ana," the apostate clarified, "but unlike any other spirit I've ever encountered. Cole…is…unique."
"That does not change what he is," Vivienne said, she turned to Ana.
"Send him away, Inquisitor, please, for all we know this creature was summoned up by the Venatori, he maybe a spy for the Elder One himself."
"There is no proof of that," Solas frowned.
Ana shook her head.
Cole…was a spirit? It seemed far-fetched; the boy looked nothing like the demons that they had encountered before.
She turned to Solas.
"You said Cole was unique, Solas. What did you mean by that?"
The elf sighed, and gathered his wits.
"Typically, when a spirit enters our world, Ana, it does so through possession. The spirit anchors itself onto something here in our world. When a demon does this, it changes its host, twists it into what the circle calls an Abomination."
Ana nodded.
"Is Cole possessed then? Has some spirit settled into his body?"
"I do not believe so," Solas added, "Cole has possessed no one, he looks like a young man, because he chooses to look like a young man. For all intended purposes, he is a young man. It is quite remarkable actually."
The Inquisitor's head swam.
So…the boy that saved them…not only wasn't he human, but he had somehow willfully manifested himself into human form.
"Did he pass through one of the rifts?" the herald inquired.
"No, Cole predates the breach it seems," the apostate added, "The demons that have appeared through the rifts were pulled through against their wills. The process drove them insane. Cole is clearly not insane, not in the way those creatures are, at least. He is…troubled, but that is likely from the loneliness he has been forced to endure. From speaking with him, I believe that he has been in our world for months, maybe even years before the Conclave was destroyed."
Vivienne snorted again.
She gave Ana a worried look.
"That does not change what it is, my dear. This…thing is trying to deceive us, whether it realizes it or not. You had best be wary of it."
The new Inquisitor looked at Cassandra, she trusted Solas, and his advice, but she did not have the same experience with dealing with the creatures of the fade that the Seeker did.
Cassandra sighed.
"If Cole had been discovered by the chantry," she said, "He likely would have been put to the sword by the Templars, without further examination. If he is a spirit as Solas claims, he is a threat.
The elf gave her a cold look.
"Some could say the same about an apostate," he reminded her.
She glared right back at him; she clearly did not appreciate being interrupted.
"Let me finish, Solas," Cassandra said sharply.
The elf's mouth snapped shut.
He fell silent.
Vivienne smirked at him, but said nothing else.
Cassandra returned her attention to the herald, the girl she looked as not only their leader, but as an apprentice, and a friend.
"I believe we should be wary, that you should be wary. As Inquisitor, Cole's fate is up to you, of course, but if I have learned anything from working with you over the last few months, Ana, it is that snap judgments are not always the wisest."
The Seeker pursed her lips.
"I was wrong about you, in the beginning," she admitted, " We gave you a chance and you proved yourself, perhaps Cole should be given the same."
Vivienne blinked.
"Seeker! Surely…surely you do not mean…?"
Cassandra raised her hand.
"I leave this up to the Inquisitor," she said flatly, "As should you, Lady Vivienne."
All three of them looked at Ana, the questions in their eyes made her more than uncomfortable.
Ah, the joys of leadership, she thought.
She shook her head wistfully, in this moment she found that she had gained a bit of respect for her mother, matriarch and leader of House Trevelyan.
Lady Aliza had made these kinds of decisions every day for more years than she liked to think about. She had carried the fortunes of their noble family in her hands, and at the same time still trying to guide her three children down the proper course.
The fact that mother had not gone crazy after all that was an impressive feat in and of itself, what all that meant…the wisdom that was needed to carry out such a feat.
Ana found herself wishing that she had half of her mother's determination and strength. She definitely could have used it right now, and would likely need more in the days to come.
She coughed nervously.
I wonder if it is still too late to run away?
Ana sighed heavily.
She rubbed at her marked hand idly.
"Before I make any decision on this, I want to speak with Cole. He did not have to warn us about the Venatori and the Red Templars but he did, that entitles him to at least some compassion on our part, I think."
Vivienne left quickly, muttering under her breath. Solas seemed pleased with her decision at least.
Cassandra reached out and touched the girl's shoulder.
"Be careful, Ana," the warrior woman advised.
The herald nodded, emboldened by the Seeker's faith in her.
"Has anyone seen Cole today?" she asked.
The Seeker shook her head.
"With his ability to make people forget he was ever there, he could have been listening to our entire conversation and we would not even remember him."
Ana frowned.
She had not thought about that?
Creepy.
"I've seen Cole more often than not, near the wounded and sick refugees," Solas informed her, "If you wish to find him, that maybe the best place to start looking."
She nodded again, and made for the healers' tent. She had been meaning to speak with the mages there for a while now. This little side mission looking for Cole was as good a reason as any to finally take that next step.
The Inquisitor frowned slightly.
What was she going to say to him? Hi, so you're really a spirit, huh? That must be a little strange."
She almost rolled her eyes at that.
Now was not the time for her to take this lightly. Cassandra was not wrong that Cole might be a threat. He was certainly not helpless, that was for certain.
She remembered that dead Venatori scout back in Haven, Cole had cut his throat down to the neck bone. He clearly was no stranger to knives and daggers.
How could you protect yourself from a killer that you did not even know was around you, more importantly, how could you defend yourself if you forgot about him as soon as he left the room?
Dangerous questions all.
Her fingers glided lightly over the hilt of her new sword.
She was the Inquisitor. She owed it to the others to see this mess through, to make the best decision.
…And hopefully, the right one as well.
IOI
Pain.
White hot! The fire of a thousand suns burning my flesh.
Aching.
Tearing. Burning.
Great Maker, Am…am I dying?
I…I can't…can't…can't…
"Gone," Cole said flatly.
He moved to and fro among the wounded, the helpless, the hopeless.
Pain…so much pain, but…he could help. He could try.
It was the least he could do.
He drifted over to the next one. He…
"Cole?"
He paused, a new voice, a real voice among the cacophony.
It was she, red hair, the one they called the Herald.
He glanced up, regarding her with his sad eyes, pushing back his hat so that he could see her better.
"Yes," he said softly.
The Herald smiled at him, it had been a long time since anyone had smiled at him.
"Can…can I speak with you?"
He shrugged, her words were welcome. She was not loud like the others; her thoughts were calm, funny even sometimes. She hurt too. She needed too, but unlike these, she had the strength to go on. He…
He turned his head.
"Hot…so very hot," he murmured.
He drifted over to a wounded soldier; his face burned the pain haunting him since they found him lying outside of Haven.
"Hot…Hot like, the summers back home."
"The smell of wild flowers, wreathing Mya's hair on our wedding day, soft breeze, the smell of my daughter's hair when I kiss her good night. I…I want…I can't…"
Cole shook his head.
"Dead," he said flatly.
He moved onto the next one.
Pain, so much pain, but he did not stop.
He could help, the hopeless, the hurt.
He had to try.
IOI
Ana blinked as she watched him, this sad boy, no older than she…yet…recognizing at last that he was something more.
Spirit? Demon? Young man?
Was he all of these things, or none of them, she could not be sure.
She heard his mutterings watching as he passed from one dying soldier to the next.
She winced at the sight.
Hello, creepy, she thought.
She pushed such thoughts away.
What was going on here was not evil, in his strange way, Cole was trying to help.
"Dry, cracked, throat…so…dry, Andraste have mercy please," he murmured.
"Um," she shuffled nervously, "Would you like to go somewhere…ah… more quiet," she asked, "So we could talk?"
"Yes," he said softly, "But I can do more here. I can hear more here."
He picked up a water skin from the ground. He approached a female soldier lying on a cot.
He smiled weakly at her.
"Here," he said, holding up her head so that she could drink, she took several quick gulps.
She smiled at him.
"Thank…thank you," she murmured.
"It…it is all right," he cooed, "You will forget me once I'm gone."
He moved on to the next one.
Ana's eyes widened slightly.
"You…you are using your powers as a spirit to help people?"
That made the boy pause.
"Yes," he said quietly, "I help the hurt, the helpless."
He glanced down at the next man, his face and side heavily bandaged.
Cole frowned.
"Pain, sharp…like a thousand knives slicing through my flesh. No relief, no relief…."
The boy winced.
Please…Andraste…help me! Make it stop! Horrible! Nothing left but pain! Andraste help me please!"
He drew a wicked looking dagger from his belt. It looked almost ceremonial, like something an Avvar might carry.
Ana tensed. The boy fingered the blade; he turned it over as he regarded the cold steel of it.
He glanced up at her, his pained eyes all but hidden behind dirty yellow bangs.
"The healers have done all they can for him," Cole informed her, "It…it will take hours for him to die, agony will be all he knows…until…until the end."
He held up the dagger.
"May…May I help him?"
Ana's eyes widened.
Was…was he asking for permission to…to…
Oh Maker.
She glanced down at the wounded man; she could hear his labored breathing, see his fists clenching the sides of the cot. Part of her wanted to hope that there was more than could be done, that one of the mages perhaps…could…
She looked down at the soldier's body, she saw the mark there. The one that meant the healers had done all they could, but it likely still would not help.
Ana swallowed hard.
She did not want the poor man to suffer, but at the same time…
She looked up at Cole. Tears ran from her eyes.
"Help him," she said softly, "Make it painless if you can."
The boy nodded.
"Shh," he whispered, "It is okay now, you will be okay."
He slid the dagger between the man's ribs, he tensed for a moment, and then the body went slack.
"Gone," Cole murmured.
Ana shivered.
It had been a cold mercy, but a mercy none the less. Could the man have recovered? Unlikely, but…
Cole wiped off his dagger. He sighed heavily.
"I used to think that I was a ghost," he whispered, "I was alone, unseen by most, only those that needed me could see, and they wanted only one thing."
He shook his head, and wiped idly at his nose with his sleeve.
"They call you the herald, yes? You are in the thoughts of many here, the helpless, the hurt. Are…are you going to save them?"
She shifted her feet uncomfortably.
"I…I'm going to try."
He nodded, and walked away from the wounded, she followed not wishing to lose him again, not wanting to forget him.
He pulled his hat down farther over his eyes.
"I used to think I was a ghost," he repeated, "Then a Templar proved that I wasn't real."
The boy stiffened slightly. Ana saw his hand drift back to his dagger, the tenseness of his posture suggested that he was about to spring a predator on the hunt.
It reminded her that this boy was not simply a victim, he could be dangerous too, but that did not change what he was trying to do, trying to be.
She smiled slightly and reached out to him, touching his arm.
He tensed but did nothing to stop her; he looked down at her hand.
She smiled slightly.
"You feel pretty real to me," she said soothingly.
Cole relaxed.
"After the Templar," he sighed, "I learned how to be more like I was, what I truly am, to use what I am to help…to help the hurt, the helpless."
He touched her hand, his touch soft, yet pleading, needing to be reassured that it was real.
"Do you see that, herald," he asked, "I only want to help."
She smiled at him.
"I see it, Cole," she answered, "But you do not have to call me herald."
She grinned at him.
"My friends call me, Ana."
"Ana," he said softly, feeling the word rolling off his tongue.
It must have been a long time since he had said another person's name, since they had given it to him.
He shook his head mournfully.
"I had friends once, but they are all gone now, once the Templar proved I wasn't real."
His lips curled slightly, not a smile, but a ghost of one.
"Why?" he asked, "Why would you want to be my friend?"
She sighed.
"Because…because I know what it is like to be alone," she answered.
Cole shivered.
"I…I don't want to be alone anymore," he said softly, "I…I want to stay."
Ana sighed.
Vivienne was going to be pissed, and she would have to remain vigilant around this…boy, but it was clear that he was not her enemy.
The Inquisition was more than just the faithful after all; it was a collection of misfits as well.
Qunari spy turned mercenary, Tevinter Pariah, a mad elven archer, among these surely a ghost-boy could find his place.
Was he a spirit, a demon? She could not be sure yet, but it was clear that he was not simply a ghost.
She would not forget.
She would not let this poor soul be forgotten.
She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"Welcome to the Inquisition Cole," she whispered.
He paused, digesting this for a moment, and then…he nodded slightly.
He said only two words more, before he disappeared back into the shadows of the keep, but Ana still remembered him, he had not made her forget.
That was a good thing, a good start, just two words.
"Thank you."