Chapter 7
I wonder how many scars a person can carry. I count five on me. Two I woke up with after the explosion—a massive, spidery web on my left temple and a cut on my lips. Another, a swipe from a demon on my left shoulder. Others are more mundane, if anything in this world could be called mundane. Almost everyone I know has scars, but I suppose they come with the territory. I wonder how many more I'll get?
I hissed as Dorian touched my sliced side. "What the hell happened?"
"Hold on. This will tingle a bit." Green magic glowed from his hands as he started healing the slash. When he was finished, he stood up and started muttering to himself. All I knew was that I ached and my head felt funny. And we definitely weren't in the castle. In fact, I couldn't find anyone besides me and Dorian in the vicinity. The room was aglow from a huge shard of red lyrium. Definitely not the castle. Right?
"Let's see. If we're still in the castle, it isn't . . . oh! It's not simply where—it's when! Alexius used the amulet as a focus. It moved us through time."
"So we're still in the castle?" But how? Nothing looked similar.
"Yes.
"Okay. If we were thrown forward . . . how far into the future were we tossed?" This was all hard for me to follow and wrap my head around.
"An excellent question. We'll have to find out, won't we?" Dorian tossed his staff into his other hand decisively. "Let's take a look around, see where—and when—we are and maybe also find a way back."
It was infinitely weird how calm he was about the fact that we were tossed through mother freaking time. I stood up and picked up my sword—I had a very distinct feeling I would be using it quite a bit here soon. "Okay. Let's go."
The red lyrium was everywhere and we kept running into Venatori soldiers. But I wasn't prepared for what we found in the cells. Cassandra wasn't herself. She . . . glowed, for lack of a better word. A ghastly, sickening red color like the lyrium all around us. Varric, too, was in the same state. Both looked horrid, tortured with gashes, bruises, and cuts. They could barely walk, limping as we tried to find our way through the castle.
At least they were better off than Fiona. We found her being encased in the red lyrium.
"You're . . . alive? But how?" Fiona's voice sounded funny, warbly and not altogether natural. "I saw you . . . disappear . . . into the rift . . ."
"I don't understand. What's happening here?" I asked, desperately searching for something to pry the door open and maybe, just maybe, break her free.
"The red lyrium . . . it's a disease. The longer you're near it . . . you become this. And then they harvest your corpse for more."
"That's good and all," Dorian cut in, "But can you tell us the date? It's very important."
"Harvestmere . . . 9:42 Dragon."
"9:42? Then we've missed an entire year!"
"You must . . . go back and . . . stop this. Alexius . . . he serves the Elder One. More powerful . . . than the Maker . . . no one . . . challenges him and lives."
That had me frozen. Who was this 'Elder One?' I'd never heard of him before and I was sure Cassandra or Leliana or someone would have mentioned a being so powerful that he outpowered their own god. I looked over at Cassandra and saw the ashen complexion that had washed over her face, the haunted look in her eyes.
"You . . . cannot help me . . . Herald." Fiona wheezed. "It is too late for me . . . now. Go . . . and return to whence you came . . ."
"I'll . . . I'll do whatever I can to stop this!" I vowed. But at this point in my training, I wasn't sure what all I could do to stop this.
"Your spymaster, Leliana, she is here. Find her. Quickly! Before . . . the Elder One . . . learns you're here." Fiona called out.
"Our only hope is to find the amulet that Alexius used to send us here," Dorian mused aloud, heading out of the dungeon. I gave Fiona one last look of apology before following everyone else out. "If, of course, it still exists. I can use it to reopen the rift at the exact same spot that we left . . . maybe."
I didn't like that heavy emphasis on maybe. And, apparently, neither did the others.
"Maybe?"
"Yes, maybe. For all I know I may turn us into paste." Dorian replied dryly.
I sputtered out a laugh. "You're joking. You have to be joking." Oh. Oh, I was slipping into hysteria. I could feel it. I was starting to lose my grip. "This is insane. How are we going to get back? And even if we do get back how do we," I gestured to me and him, "Stop this?" I swept my arm our at the red lyrium growing from the walls.
"Calm yourself, Herald." Cassandra consoled. "Breathe. Now is not the time to lose your head."
And I knew that but my grip on sanity was being held by a thread at the moment. Okay. Shove it all down, deep down. I could have a meltdown about all this later. First thing was first—we needed to get back to our time.
"Leliana!" I gasped. I pushed past Dorian and went to the fresh corpse at Leliana's feet, quickly looking for the key to her restraints.
"You're alive?" she wheezed with a hoarse voice.
My eyes swept over the tables around her and knew this place to be a place of torture, of ghastly practices. Finding the key, I went to Leliana and began freeing her. She was ghostly pale and bone thin, her hair had fallen out in clumps and she was missing teeth. Her right eye was swollen shut and that was only the injuries I could see.
"You're safe now." I cried.
"Forget safe." She snapped. "If you came back from the dead, you need to do better than safe." I was prepared for the strength behind her grip when she grabbed me. "You need to end this." Her eyes swept over the group behind me. "Do you have weapons?
"Yes."
"Good. The Magister's probably in his chambers." She walked past Dorian to open a safe by the door.
"You . . . aren't curious as to how we got here?" Dorian asked.
"No." She pulled out her bow and a quiver of arrows. That was a lucky find.
Dorian pushed on anyway. "Alexius sent us into the future. None of this was meant to be."
"I'm so sorry. If my disappearance . . . means this, I'm so sorry." I couldn't believe I was this important—something else must have happened and my disappearance was just coincidence. Nothing more. How could any one person be this important?
"If we can get back to our present time, we can prevent this future from ever happening." Dorian stated firmly.
"Hm. And mages wonder why people fear them . . . no one should have this power." Dorian went to speak again but with a quick cut of her hand, he closed his mouth. "Enough! This is just pretend to you, a future you never hope to happen. But it's real. It happened to me, to us, to the world. It is still happening." Then she closed her eyes and breathed in deep before letting it out. "Let us find your way back home."
"Though Darkness closes, I am shielded by flame.
Andraste guide me. Maker, take me to your side"
"You move and we all die!"
"But Cassandra, Varric—Leliana!"
A blinding green light, Dorian's grip on my arm.
And it was over.
It was the worst, jarring sensation to be pulled back through the amulet's rift. Both Dorian and I stumbled as we were pushed through. I was completely disoriented but I was on high alert. We hadn't been turned to paste, so that was a good thing but that didn't mean that we hadn't been spewed into even more trouble. I looked wildly around and when my eyes landed on Varric and Cassandra, I cried out and ran to them. I wrapped my arms around the surprised pair and cried into Cassandra's shoulder. Finding them whole and hale after . . . after what we had just been through was almost crushingly a relief.
"Hey, hey, hey there." Varric murmured. "Ease up, Sunshine."
Sniffling, I did and withdrew. "I'm so glad you're okay."
Realizing that Dorian wasn't by my side, I whirled around and saw him with a death grip on Alexius. Anger of my own rose in me, of the horrors I saw. All because of him. I stormed up to Alexius, fury contorting my face into something I'm sure was ugly. "You've lost. Put aside all claim to Redcliffe, and we just might let you live."
"There is not point in extending this charade," Alexius moaned.
"It's going to be alright, Father," Felix assured.
"But you'll die." Alexius wailed.
"Everyone dies, Father."
Soldiers lined up and grabbed Alexius and began escorting him out of the building. When they had left and closed the doors behind them, Dorian chuckled.
"Well I'm glad that's over with!"
I smiled and was about to say something when the doors opened again. Curious as to what would bring our soldiers back in, I turned to look and was met with the sight of not our army, but someone's army marching into the Chantry. They were in sync, branching off in pairs to line every pillar until the dais.
"Or . . . not." Dorian mumbled uncertainly.
Who were these people. I'd never seen the emblems on their chests before. In stepped a man who had his arms folded behind his back and walked with purpose. His armor was armor only the rich could afford and looked well cared for. And he was handsome. I blushed when the thought crossed my mind as this was definitely not the time for such thoughts.
"Grand Enchanter, we'd like to discuss your abuse of our hospitality." The man spoke firmly.
"Your Majesty." Fiona breathed, stepping forward. Wait, Majesty? Was this . . . a king?
"When we offered the mages sanctuary, we did not five them the right to drive our people from their homes." The king snapped.
"King Alistair, I assure you, we never intended—"
"In light of your actions, good intentions are no longer enough! You and your followers have worn out your welcome. Leave Ferelden before we make you!"
Fiona looked stricken as he eyes lowered. "But . . . we have hundreds who need protection! Where will we go?"
Varric, who had come to stand beside me, nudged me forward. I cleared my throat and everyone was suddenly looking at me. Oh boy. "I mean, we were here initially to look for mages to help close the Breach . . ."
Fiona's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And what would this arrangement cost us?"
"Hopefully better than what Alexius gave you." Dorian cut in. Then he turned to look at me. "The Inquisition is better than that, yes?"
"I suggest conscripting them—they've proven what they can do when left to their own devices." Cassandra advised.
"I've known a lot of mages, Herald. They can be loyal friends if given a chance. Friends who make bad decisions but still . . . loyal." Varric added.
I was still amazed that these experienced and weathered people were giving me the authority to make such calls as these. Turning to Fiona I thought about it. True we had gone up against quite a few mages in out travels and most had been . . . not so friendly, to put it lightly. Setting fire to villagers' homes and attacking travelers non-discriminately. But so had the templars. And from what I understood, mages had been prisoners all their lives. Sure, usually in gilded cages but a cage was a cage.
I sighed but stood my ground as I looked Fiona in the eyes. "If you can swear fealty to the Inquisition, if you can swear that your people will stop all this senseless fighting, then . . . we would be honored to have you join us."
The relief that washed over Fiona's face had me also feeling relief, like I had chosen the right thing for once. Granted, I wouldn't know if I had chosen correctly until all was said and done. A heated look from Cassandra had me biting my lip however. I had a feeling I'd hear more about my decision down the road.