Chapter 33
Meredith looked incredulously from Orsino to Keran. They both saw her eyes flash forebodingly red for a moment before she controlled herself. Orsino almost flinched but managed to stay outwardly unperturbed and to keep a strong grip on Keran's arm at the same time. He didn't even try to smile innocently or reassuringly or even complacently, but kept a straight face; he deemed it the most sensible solution not to react at all and to just wait for what she would do. It took some time, in fact it seemed to take ages but Orsino forcefully checked his impatience and kept a straight face. The boy, on the other hand, looked as if all the demons of the Fade had pounced upon him.
'Mettin,' she finally growled, 'I need Ser Mettin here right away.'
Keran recoiled instantly at the mention of the name but instinctively Orsino pushed him forward. He didn't know what had happened to the newly appointed Knight Captain but the lad exposed more with his body language about what had transpired than when he had shouted it out loud. 'Tell us,' he snarled. He nudged him and at the same time applied a small wave of magic; he was pretty sure Meredith would be too agitated to notice. In the state of mind she had been for the last couple of months, she wouldn't have noticed a chorus line of rats dancing the Remmigold on her desk, Orsino suspected.
'He, he is dead,' Keran whispered almost inaudible. He felt sick to the bone, sick with himself for his betrayal, involuntarily or not. He swallowed hard and pressed his lips but couldn't prevent the next words tumbling from his mouth. 'The Champion killed him, when, when she was freed.' He shivered as if he had caught a fever. He wanted to scream out loud Orsino was the traitor, that he had invited the Tevinter Imperium into Kirkwall but at the very moment he had worked up the courage, the words froze in his throat. He could only stare at the Knight Commander with wide terrified eyes.
But instead of the furious outburst he expected, both he and Orsino expected, a sudden cruel smile played around Meredith's lips. 'Did she now. I suppose he had it coming. He never knew when to stop.' She didn't even seem to be upset about Hawke's escape. Even Orsino was caught off balance with her reaction. He decided this was the final evidence she permanently and completely had gone out of order.
She swirled around to face a corner in the office where her tranquil assistant was working behind a small desk. The woman hadn't paid attention to the unfolding drama taking place mere yards from her; in fact she hadn't even looked up from her papers. 'Elsa, go to the barracks and rally my Templars. Tell them to gather in the hall immediately.' After some contemplation she added, 'And bring me a lad that can pass for this trembling brat in the dark.'
Keran's eyes grew wide. He knew what she was planning but still he wasn't able to utter a useful word. He felt Orsino's fingers tightening around his arm.
The Knight Commander's smile broadened unpleasantly. 'We're going to teach those treacherous nobles a valuable lesson.' Without any comment her assistant hastened out of the room. 'And the Champion will be sorry she's born when we recapture her, together with that despicable guard dog she calls her husband.'
'Are you really planning to fight the nobles with their militia and the Guardsmen they have with them?' Orsino asked, taken aback.
'Of course we are going to fight them, you idiot, or do you think I will let them stand on the other side of the gate until they take root? We'll wipe them out and it will be easy because we'lll fight them on our terms. You disappear to the Circle right now and keep the mages in check. Take that miserable piece of filth with you and make sure you will not let him out of your hands. We will talk later, when all this is over. Then you can explain why you did what you did.'
While he walked to the mages' quarters, dragging a defenceless Keran along, Orsino pondered her last words. An involuntary shiver went down his spine. You are a low traitor. He ignored it. She is going to kill you as the reward you deserve. He ignored that as well. He would have to come up with a watertight reason to smooth her paranoia. But he had time. I will survive.
Aveline stood above the Hightown gate, clutching Marius's wrist. Without looking at him she said, 'You do exactly as I tell you. One wrong move and you're dead.'
'I'm no battle mage,' Marius protested weakly.
'No. In fact you're a pathetic little coward, aren't you,' Aveline agreed grimly, 'so you'd better gain some courage and gain it fast.'
He hazarded to turn his face to her and met her cold smile, flickering in the sparse starlight. Her face seemed frighteningly close. 'Very fast,' she added ominously. Her breath washed over his face and he smelled strong coffee. In his roaring fantasy the smell was combined with icy disdain, as if she literally breathed out her contempt for him. He shuddered. He recognised she was lethal. As a cobra, or better perhaps: a tiger. She would strike without hesitation and without mercy.
On his other side he was flanked by a Templar who kept a stern, wary eye on him; he felt boxed in, actually mangled between a rock and a hard place, but there was little he could do about it. He supposed he should be grateful he was still alive. The best thing he could do to keep that precious life was to be compliant.
On the right and left of them archers were lined up on the walls on both sides of the gate, militia and Guardsmen alike, that is the Guardsmen Aveline hadn't ordered to the Gallows. By now she was grateful she hadn't sent off all of her men. She had kept the best part of them in the Keep; she had thought she would need them desperately to crush more uprisings in the city. In the dark she grinned sardonically; never in her worst nightmares had she imagined she would have needed them to defend the city against an outward threat.
They hadn't lit torches and stood in the moonless dark night to keep their presence veiled as long as possible. The Tevinter army wanted to take them by surprise but it would be the other way around. Aveline grimaced. At least, that was what she hoped for.
Despite the collected bravery of the ragtag army, more or less inspired by her indomitable stance, Aveline felt strained. She stood staring into the dark, waiting for the Tevinter army to appear from the Wounded Coast. Not for the first time she inwardly cursed the stupid coincidence of the Tevinters attacking Kirkwall the very night they themselves had decided to overthrow Meredith, with as result their forces were split up. If it was a coincidence at all. Not for the first time she wondered at the stupid chance. Marius claimed he didn't know but whether that was true or if he simply didn't want to tell, she was convinced by now there had to be at least one other spy in the city. But whatever the case, it didn't matter right now; it had already been too late to call the others back. The task, no duty, to fight the enemy off had fallen upon her and she had to make do with what was left of the Guard and the militia.
She just wished the waiting would be over; it felt as if she had been standing here for the best part of the night.
Finally she spotted pinpricks of light in the distance and shortly after that came the sound of the marching of two thousand feet, approaching fast. With a grim expression Aveline saw them come nearer and when they were close enough so that she could discern individual persons in the light of the torches they were carrying with them, she almost swore out loud. 'They have battering rams,' she hissed to Marius, 'why haven't you told me they have battering rams?!' The same moment she clasped her hand over his mouth, afraid he would cry out in response.
'I didn't know!' Marius's voice sounded muffled through her armoured fingers.
She didn't believe him but it wasn't important at the moment. 'Just shut up,' she growled. She waited until the army came to a halt. She stared at the enemy before the gate, an enemy willing to take the city and make it a part of the dark Empire once more. Over my dead body, she thought harshly. She addressed the Templar guarding Marius. 'Keep a strong eye on him,' she hissed and before the man could react she jerked Marius's wrist. 'If you don't help us, you better prepare for your death because I will kill you myself.'
He didn't argue her heated words but instead tried to collect his powers to fight the country that up until now had paid his wages. They didn't pay for his life, though. It was a big difference.
Aveline then took a deep breath and bellowed, 'Archers, get ready ... aim ... fire!'
A cloud of arrows whooshed through the air and surprised the Tevinters who weren't expecting any resistance. But they recovered fast from the initial shock.
Within a heartbeat havoc broke out.
Cullen was growing impatient, wondering what took Keran so long. He had herded the group of rebellious Templars and mages together in the two prison cells close to the entrance of the secret passage and continually he had to urge them to be quiet. He had counted them meticulously and thus knew one of the mages was still missing. Together with Keran's delay it was adding highly to his anxiousness. Had something gone wrong? And if so, what was he to do? Their only chance was to attack together, to take Meredith by surprise and even if she managed to call upon the Templars, to crash them on two sides. That was the purpose of their plan.
His fingers twitched nervously. He had to make a decision. He couldn't leave the gathered persons in the dungeons waiting any longer. Let alone Thrask could keep the combination of MUM and the gathered – group of, well, whatever he could name the Champion and her retinue, storming the Gallows on their own account. He clenched his jaw. If Keran wouldn't pop up any moment now, this enterprise would turn into a disaster. He had not the illusion he could turn back the tides now. Not with the wound up people around him and the even more wound up group waiting on the other side of that bloody hatch. For heaven's sake, what was keeping that boy?!
Orsino had dragged Keran into the Circle's library that also functioned as relaxation room. He had planted the young Templar on a chair and had started to pace nervously. With every turn he seemed to get more anxious and Keran could feel his vigilance wane. He was able to think clear again, although the physical sluggishness stayed on. He would not be able to dart from this room fast enough; Orsino would stop him before he had reached the door. He fervently searched for a way out, for a way to warn Cullen.
Only now he saw the young mage pressed against the wall between two bookcases not far from him. He recognized her as a member of the movement. She looked petrified from the First Enchanter to him and back and he found he was as afraid as she appeared to be. What would happen if Orsino detected her? Meanwhile the First Enchanter looked almost as paranoid as the Knight Commander already was. But eventually he managed to push his fear aside and to catch her eyes. 'Come here,' he mouthed. After some long moments of hesitation the girl shuffled close enough to exchange a few words. To pass a message.
'Why are you still here?' Keran whispered.
The First Enchanter looked up sharply; Keran almost recoiled and the girl stiffened. To his relief she managed to be an almost indistinguishable shadow in the dim light. He hoped with all his might Orsino thought he still had him on a leash. It had taken him precious time to get away from his influence, to feel the blood magic decrease enough to work up the courage to address the frightened girl. Estel? He thought that was her name. He held his breath and tried to look as neutral as possible. Please, let him think I'm still his puppet.
At last Orsino looked away and resumed his pacing.
When the First Enchanter had turned his back on them she whispered back, 'We were ordered to slip out one by one not to rouse suspicion. We were told to count to a thousand before we made our move.'
'Then run now,' Keran pressed, 'Orsino has betrayed us. There is no time left. Meredith knows all about our plans. The others at the gate will be wiped away. Warn the Knight Captain! You know where to go.' He wanted to shake her but didn't dare to move.
Her eyes flitted from him to the First Enchanter, looking incredulously; she seemed to be paralysed.
'Now!' Keran screamed out loud, desperately trying to shake her out of her stupor.
As he had expected Orsino turned sharply to him. Within an intake of breath he was upon him and whacked him around the ears. 'Shut up!' he shouted. But from the corner of his eye Keran saw the mage-girl flee the room.
In a desperate attempt to divert the First Enchanter, he attacked him with the little strength he had left. 'I hate you!' he yelled, 'you're a monster!' The next moment he found himself smacked against a wall and felt at least three ribs break. But the girl had got away. He smiled before another blow deprived him of his conscience.
On the other side of the trap-door Thrask was getting as restless as Cullen already was. 'It is taking long,' he muttered. Too long, he added in the privacy of his head. Behind his back the others were pressed together, their faces tense in the torchlight; he could hear the edgy shuffling of feet and the soft murmur of voices. The only one who seemed to be relaxed and even cheerful was Anders.
'Waiting always takes long,' he said, almost joyfully, 'you just have to make the best of it.' He sounded rather merry in the present circumstances. Whether it was due to the absence of Justice or the amount of alcohol still sloshing along his veins was not completely clear; probably a combination of the two.
'I don't understand why we are standing here anyway,' Isabela complained. 'I mean in these cramped stinking tunnels. It will take ages to get the smell out of my hair and my clothes.'
'Which clothes?' Hawke informed sweetly. She heard Fenris quietly snigger and felt his hand move to her hip and squeeze gently.
Thrask sighed heavily; the pirate queen was getting on his nerves. 'I've explained this before, haven't I,' he grumbled aggravated. 'There simply is not enough room at the entrance of the secret passage. It will be overcrowded as it is already. And we can't spread out in the dungeons, that's far too risky. It just needs one Templar to let the alarm go off.'
'Really Rivaini,' Varric smirked mockingly, 'haven't you been listening to anything what the man said?'
'No,' Isabela retorted defiantly, 'I was bored to shreds after just once sentence.'
Even in the dim light it was obvious Thrask was staring viciously at her.
'Don't mind her, Ser Thrask,' Hawke grinned, 'she always goes like this when the topic isn't sex or booty.'
Thrask rolled his eyes with annoyance.
And then the hatch to the trap-door flew open with a loud thud.
Cullen caught the mage-girl the moment she more or less stumbled into his arms.
'You have been told to be quiet!' he hissed irritably. Heavens! What was he to do with this bunch of jumpy mages! But her next words chilled his blood.
'Knight Captain Ser, we have been betrayed!' she panted. 'By the First Enchanter!'
At that very moment he heard the jingle of fast approaching Templars. There was no time to think. He pushed the girl away and snatched the hatch of the trap-door open. 'Move!' he yelled to Thrask, 'Now!'
Lady Selbrech let out a thankful sigh when she saw a cloaked and hooded figure hurrying to the gate through the shadows of the courtyard. 'Finally.' There was a faint clinking sound of a key being turned around in a keyhole and the gates opened. As silent as possible they all passed through it and not a minute later the combined forces of militia and Guardsmen were in.
'Follow me,' the dark figure whispered. She assumed he was Keran but wasn't certain. They crossed the courtyard to a small alleyway on the left which, for a heartbeat, stirred Lady Selbrech's doubt.
'Why don't we take the head entrance?' she hissed askance.
'Because it's too dangerous. Trust me, my Lady, this is the safest way in,' the hooded person answered softly.
Marlein Selbrech shrugged. The young man would know best; after all, he lived here.
There were a few twists and turns and another iron gate to be opened but at last they seemed to have reached their goal. Their guide stepped aside and let them pass into the Gallows main hall.
The same time they entered the vast room they realised something was terribly wrong.