Chapter 9
Sister Agatha
Liz sat next to Ben on a ledge and watched as Hawke and his companions discussed the next steps. Ben had told them what he knew - which really wasn't much, since he had only had eyes for this girl - and they were now trying to decide on the best possible strategy to deal with this mess while they were still happily undiscovered by both the Templar and the Magi.
It was fascinating how different their approaches were. Fenris just wanted to go in and take them all down, while Hawke relied on charming diplomacy. Anders at some point simply argued against Fenris, Isabela leaned bored against the wall and looked at her fingernails, and winked at a pretty young woman with dark hair and a magic wand who looked helplessly back and forth between the three men discussing.
All the talk drove Liz crazy, but she did not interfere. Her gaze glided to Ben, who sat next to her with a bleeding nose and kept giving her reproachful, snivelling looks. Anders had offered to heal him, whereupon she had offered the magician to break his nose as well. He had raised an eyebrow in surprise and then, with a wry grin, said: "I could imagine worse things, sweetheart!" Liz hadn't missed the look Fenris had given them during the short exchange. Almost as if he was... But no, she had certainly imagined it. Fenris was a tougher shell to crack than that.
Five minutes later, when the discussion was still as fruitless as before, Hawke made a decision: "We'll go in and see ..."
"This is your plan?" growled Fenris.
Hawke shrugged and replied, "Your "you're evil, no you're evil" talk didn't produce anything of value after all, did it?"
Anders and Fenris stood side by side and all at once seemed equally stubborn and thus kind of on the same side of things for a moment. Liz denied herself a laugh when she saw it, even though she suspected that there were many bad and unhealthy feelings buried here, in both men.
"Now that that's settled," Hawke continued, "let's get going. Fenris, you stay here and look after our two guests."
"What?" Liz got up. "That's not necessary. I can both help and take care of myself..."
All turned to her at the same time and then looked at the rock under which Fenris and she had been buried minutes before. Liz turned red and bit her lip.
Fenri's gaze slipped from her to the passage in the back of the cave where the blood mage had appeared. She could see that he was torn. On one hand he wanted to go with the others and make sure everything went the way he wanted it to. On the other hand, he didn't want to leave her alone in this not all too well hidden spot either. Whether it was out of concern for her or because he didn't want to let Ben get away, she couldn't have said. At some point he nodded, but not without saying first: "Think hard what you're doing with those damn blood mages, Hawke!"
The other man nodded, unexpectedly serious. "I promise you that, Fenris. This is not what I am protecting!"
Silently they made their way deeper into the cave. Liz saw Hawke say a few words to the young woman, alert and worried. She rolled her eyes and replied quietly. Side by side, their resemblance was unmistakable.
"His sister?" she asked Fenris, who leaned against the cave wall next to Ben and her, his eyes fixed on his companions and his arms crossed in front of his chest. He just nodded in response, his eyes narrow.
She sighed and rubbed her aching limbs. Fenris' gaze met her, but she did not look at him. For some stupid reason Liz suddenly became overly aware of his closeness - despite the distance between them and Ben's presence. The way he had looked at her, in the short moment before Hawke and the others had freed her... Liz remembered, a shiver ran down her back and her stomach contracted.
The following minutes passed in silence, except for the obviously horribly dying man on her right. Eventually she could no longer bear Ben's soft moaning, so she got up, pressed his head back into his neck and pressed a cloth against his nose. He flinched and whimpered.
"Don't be such a baby, Ben," Liz muttered, but it sounded soft. She just couldn't stay mad at him for long. They had grown up together, first side by side in Starkhaven's working-class neighbourhood, and then, after a terrible epidemic had killed her and many other's mothers, in the church orphanage. Liz had been placed two or three times in the beginning because she was pretty and neat enough to attract the attention of some childless merchant or merchant families. Ben, however, then chubby and just as loudmouthed as today, had stayed. In the end, it had made no difference, because she had gotten on the nerves of her foster parents to such an extent that they had sent her back again. She had not wanted to be separated from Ben, because he had been - still was - all that was left of the time when the world had still been good.
By the time they were both eighteen years old, she had been placed in regular employment. After a few weeks of deadly boredom they had met John, and his stories about life as a crook had lured them away, naive and inexperienced as they had been. No matter what happened after that, she had never regretted having chosen this path.
Liz startled when a young, dark-skinned man appeared at the dark passageway that led deeper into the cave. Fenris drove around, his broadsword immediately in his hand.
"Wait," gasped the boy, "the man - Hawke - told me to ask you to let me through. Please, I want to turn myself in!"
Fenris examined him from narrow eyes and then let the sword sink. "I am watching you. If you dare harm the Templar, I will kill you!"
"Yes... yes, I understand. I will not. By the Maker, I just want to get out of here." Hastily he backed away and then left the cave.
Liz's gaze slipped towards Ben. All of a sudden he seemed extremely worried. "Oh shit, Lizzy, what have I got us into?"
"You're thinking about that now?"
He shrugged his shoulders, perplexed and confused. "I... don't know what got into me. I saw her, and then... I just had to have her." He put his hands to his forehead. "It was like a compulsion..."
"Blood magic," growled Fenris. "I have witnessed this. They can make weak people will-less and force them to do what they want."
Well, at least that explained why Ben had behaved so irrationally, even by his standards.
Once again Liz' gaze glided towards the entrance of the cave. She had a bad feeling. How could it end well? Where there was a Templar, others would surely follow soon. And then the whole thing would end in disaster.
Thoughtfully she tilted her head and looked down at her luggage. Then she made a decision and began to free the backpack from the provisions to get to the lowest compartment.
"What are you doing?" she heard Fenri's voice above her.
"Saving your ass" was the only thing she replied before she pulled out the wig and robe and looked at Ben. He began to grin.
"Sister Agatha?"
"Sister Agatha," Liz confirmed, then looked down on herself. She was covered with dust all over and had to get rid of it, otherwise she would have problems with her make-up. Her gaze caught a trickle of water on her right, which flowed over the rocks and then dripped to the ground. It was not much, but it would have to be enough.
"Turn around!" she asked the two men and began to unlace her tunic.
Ben crossed his arms with a grin, while Fenris raised an eyebrow in confusion. Then he seemed to understand what she was about to do, grabbed Ben by the arm and turned around with him.
"Oh come on Lizzy, it's not like I haven't seen you naked before..."
She froze, together with the elf. Maker, she wanted to kill Ben. Of course, he'd seen her naked, after all, they were children. But to Fenris, such a statement could be misleading. And it seemed to bother him, after all, no matter the exact reason... It was a good sign if it bothered him, right? You could build on that...
When Liz stepped under the weak water jet in her laundry and felt the cool liquid touching her skin, she sighed comfortably. Carefully she freed her hair, eyelashes and skin from the dust. Then she slipped into this robe, pulled the wig over her head and took off the damp laundry underneath. Finally she started to make up over her little pocket mirror.
"Lizzy? How much longer is this going to...?"
"Almost there!" she muttered and gave them a side glance. Fenris seemed to have turned into a pillar of salt and looked very... tasty. Pure power and lithe speed spoke from his posture. Ben looked like a big, massive block, familiar and calming even though he looked twitchy.
Liz sighed softly and then busied herself with turning her face into that of a forty-year-old woman. When she was done, she stood up and said, "Finished!"
The two turned around at the same time, Ben with a grin on his face, Fenris with an expression that oscillated between curiosity and mistrust. When he saw them, he tilted his head.
"A sister of the Church?"
"Well, well, my son, will you confess to me?" she asked in a lowered, calm voice and came closer. Even quieter she continued. "Let me handle this, Fenris. And do not worry. I'm pretty good as Sister Agatha."
He knit his brows. "What are you gonna do?"
"Wait and see" she just said and then turned away to walk towards the exit.
Fenris grabbed her sleeve. Slowly Liz turned around and looked into his eyes. He hesitated. Liz did her best to make her eyes speak: Do not stop me here. There is no need. Trust me. Fenris let go of her again. Liz smiled and continued on her way. When she reached the exit of the cave, she heard a newcomer's voice.
"Ser Thrask, what are you doing here?"
"I followed the renegades to this cave, Ser Karras," a tense male voice replied.
"And yet you stand out here," the other man replied coldly. "You have lost your bite, Thrask. But now I am here. Who is the boy?"
"His name is Alain. He turned himself in..."
Liz no longer hesitated and stepped out of the cave. The two Templars turned to her at the same time and stared at her. Alain stood between them and seemed frightened. She only hoped he would keep his mouth shut.
"Oh Gentlemen, I'm really very glad I don't have to walk this long way back to Kirkwall alone." She gave her voice an exhausted sound and let her Starkhaven accent resonate clearly.
"Sister," said the red-haired Templar - according to the voice that must be Thrask - immediately. "What has happened?"
Slowly she stepped into the sunlight. The other Templar - Karras - looked at her suspiciously. Behind him stood half a dozen other men. She hated their creepy helmets with the narrow slits.
"I accompanied the Templar troop that was to take the magicians to Kirkwall," she explained. "When they fled, they took me hostage."
"And then they let you go?" Karras squinted his eyes.
She sighed and swayed slightly. Thrask caught on and supported her with a steady grip. Liz smiled thankfully and said, "They're not monsters, My Lord. Only frightened, misguided people. I tried to persuade them to turn themselves in, but they would not listen. But then, they couldn't bring themselves to take me with them..."
"Where are they?" he interrupted her.
"Gone," she murmured. "The cave has a second exit towards the sea. They haven't been gone long, maybe a quarter of an hour? Please, if you find them, have mercy!"
"I can't do that, Sister," Karras replied immediately and turned away already. "You are blood magicians and dangerous!" Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.
"Thrask, why don't you accompany the sister and the boy back to Kirkwall," Karras continued, asking one of the men to go with them.
That is Great... Liz thought in dismay, but smiled gratefully. There was no way out of this story now, so she joined Thrask without another word and returned with him to Kirkwall.
The day drew to a close when they reached the city. Of course, Thrask accompanied them into the church and up to the gallery where the Grand Clerik stood and talked to a man in white armour. Both stopped as they approached and listened to Thrask's explanation.
"Starkhaven?" said the man in white armor with a heavy accent. "Why am I only hearing about this now?"
Surprised, Liz checked him out. His blue eyes looked worried as he looked at the Templar and her and then added: "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself: I am Prince Sebastian Vael."
By the blazes, this got better and better... The Vaels were Starkhaven's ruling family and had issued at least two arrest warrants against them - or rather their alter ego. If Sebastian knew that she was standing right in front of him, he could organize a nice present for his parents here and now.
Or maybe he would have just let her go. He must have been frustrated enough, after all his parents had sent him to Kirkwall as a teenager to be trained as a Chantry brother. Until then he had not necessarily had the reputation of being a child of sadness. But now - The man she had a faint memory of seemed to have changed quite a lot.
Well, at least the nuns got something to look at, Liz thought to herself, and grinned inwardly, while on the outside she pretended to be exhausted and tired, in order to have to talk as little as possible. Thrask reported in her place. When the Templar had finished and said Goodbye, Liz asked for the blessing of the Grand Cleric.
"Of course, my dear," replied the other woman, then added, "You look exhausted. Why don't you lie down?"
Liz nodded gratefully and bowed her head slightly. But before she turned away, she paused once more and said, "I intend to leave first thing in the morning and go on a pilgrimage back to Starkhaven. I am in urgent need of... contemplation."
Silence followed, then the Grand Cleric said, "Of course, Sister Agatha. But you shouldn't travel alone..."
"Forgive me, but I must, Your Grace," she replied immediately, fervently and resolutely. "I must calm down and think about some things"
Once again there was silence, but then the other woman agreed with a warm smile and a nod.
'Never, ever lie to a member of the church' had been her mother's first lesson. And here she stood, falsely posing as a sister. I'm sorry, Mum. But I always share what I have too much of, that's the second rule and I hope it is as good...
Liz spent the night in a small, simple chamber within the church walls and then set off in the morning before the sun rose. She walked down the steps in front of the church in an upright position and then, as soon as she was sure that no one was watching her, she ran back up the steps to Fenris' house. It was still dark when she slipped inside and leaned against the wall with a relieved sigh.
The door to his room was open. Fenris was waiting for her.
Slowly she entered and saw that he had dozed off by the fireplace. His chin had sunk to his chest. She looked at him for a long time, his white hair and profile, then turned around and wanted to leave.
"Liz?" he muttered sleepily.
Her heart sank into her stomach. If he always sounded like that after waking up, there was much more she could fantasize about than just how his skin would feel and his lips would taste. How did he manage to look so damn seductive when she herself was usually useless after waking up?
"Hi," she said and took the wig off her head. I "m back. Let's talk later, okay? I want to lie down for a while."
He just nodded and let her go without another word. Relieved that everything had ended so smoothly, she sank down to her bed, pulled the priest's robe over her head and slipped quickly under the blanket when she realized that she had been naked under it the whole time.
What would the Grand Cleric have said to that? she thought and smiled inside. Or his Highness, the good Prince Vael? She carried the thought further and added all kinds of absurd situations, only to fall into a deep, but unfortunately not dreamless sleep.
She was alone and surrounded by crushing darkness. Dust was in her hair and her eyes, her nose and her mouth. It continued to trickle down on her, and debris pressed against her hips. The pressure increased on her shoulders too, then in her neck. She had to stand up to escape him, but there was no room above her...
Air, she needed air. In panic, she opened her mouth, but it filled with dust immediately. She began to cough. Her eyes were burning, and the pressure seemed to get worse and worse.
Fenris...
Shouldn't he be with her? Where was he?
He had to be in this with her.
Was he buried next to her?
Was he squashed down under stone like her at that exact moment?
Her fingers groped around in panic and then found a lifeless hand.
No... no...
"Fenris!"
Upright and bathed in sweat Liz sat in her bed. Her eyes wandered wildly around the room. Less than two seconds later the door flew open and the elf stormed into the room with inflamed signs.
Liz stared at him. He was dressed in nothing but light, dark trousers. She clearly saw the curve of his shoulder, as well as the muscles on his flat stomach. He seemed ready to take on anyone who wanted to harm her.
"It... was only a dream," Liz whispered hoarsly after a few seconds and wished for nothing more than for him to come to her and take her in his arms. Instead, he made an abrupt backward movement, nodded slightly and left the room again. His discomfort had been clearly visible to him.
Shit. This emotional thing went deeper than Liz had ever anticipated. She tried to calm her breathing. Slowly Liz let her held breath escape. Then she carefully slammed her forehead against the wall once, twice, three times and stood up, because with this sight in her head she would certainly not find any sleep anymore.
