Chapter Fifty-Three
Enemies Among Us
(Why did I post 2 chapters today and yesterday? I was on a roll and felt like writing so I did... hope y'all don't mind...)
I took Hawke, Alistair, Varric and Isabela to the Rose… I sent everyone else on their way.
No, I didn't have my guards at all today. They said they weren't needed since I had Alistair with me. The thing was – once he went into the Protective State that one time it became possible for him to do so even without the Cuff – all on his power and not mine. It would draw on his abilities instead of mine now.
Just due to his ability to go into the protective state made my guards relax if he was with me.
We approached Viveka who recognized me and Alistair straight away. Her eyes widened, but Hawke spoke first.
"Do you know Wilmod; Keran? They're Templar recruits who went missing. They were last seen here."
"We don't disclose our patrons… information."
"Viveka, honey… they're missing. One is already dead. If we don't act quickly enough… we may not find anyone alive." I affected a sad look.
"Well… no need to get all dramatic on me." She moved to look at her registry on the counter beside her. "Hmmm… Here we go. Looks like Wilmod came in here a lot; are you sure he was a Templar? Didn't seem to have the time… ah; the both of them last saw 'Idunna the Exotic Wonder from the East.'" Here voice was dead pan as she said the name. Something told me she didn't like Idunna…
"Anything else you can tell us? We're also looking for Jethann…"
"Honey, I could write volumes on the things I know. As for Jethann, it's his off day but he's in his room. Now, unless you want to know Wilmods favorite position, I think you have what you need."
"That we do; thank you sweetie!" I called out as I dragged Alistair with me to Jethanns room and Hawke took Varric and Bela over to Idunnas room.
The Elf was kind of cute; 5'4 with red hair down to his shoulders and cobalt blue eyes. He turned as we entered. Seeing us, his eyes widened. "Well, today is my off day, but I'll make an exception for the two of you… what can I say; why work if you're not working… hard?"
I giggled as Alistair cleared his throat. "As… nice as that sounds, we're not here for that… right?" he asked me, nervous.
"Nope; I have some questions about Ninette, honey. Have you seen her lately?"
"Well… not for several weeks; which is a shame… I adore her company. I hear she finally left her worthless husband; good for her. I just wish she'd said good-bye."
"Do you have any… ideas where she might be?" Alistair asked.
"Hmmm… not personally, but there was someone else looking for her. He was a Templar; Emeric, I believe. He wouldn't sleep with me either. Though I can't see why a Templar would be interested in someone who wasn't a mage…"
"Someone else Ninette spent… time with, perhaps?" Alistair asked me.
"She did always love a man in uniform," Jethann responded, looking the King over. I giggled as Alistair stepped closer to me.
"You could ask him yourself; said he had a lead in Dark Town, could see if he's still there. And, uh… if you do find Ninette, tell her to drop by and see me sometime?" he asked. I smiled and handed over a Sovereign and said, "Thank you for your time, sweetie."
We exited the room just in time to bump into Hawke leaving Idunnas room. "Couldn't have warned us that she was a blood mage?" Hawke snarked and I gave a feigned look of shock, "Oops. Sorry… so did you kill her or…?"
"She's dead. I've sent a runner for the Templars to remove her remains. Seeing as I had two witnesses to the fact that she tried to have me kill… me…" I sniggered at his expression and said, "I suppose since we need to wait for the Templars I can do some buissness with Madam Lusine…"
Alistair – remembering the last time I did buissness in a brothel – chuckled and nodded.
I went in search of the proprietor for the Rose – when I found her, she was in her office on the third floor.
She stood when I entered at her allowance – she was 5'6 with hair that had gone completely white. It was the only telling feature of her age though – the woman was a miracle worker with the make-up caked on her face… I wouldn't have known if I couldn't sense the minerals in it.
She was lightly tanned – with grey-blue eyes that popped with the make-up. She wore a sinfully cut purple gown and had a modest chest that didn't spill out of it – it was more tasteful than one would have expected from the owner of a brothel.
"How can I help Fereldens' King and the Lady Cousland?" she purred. I was getting turned on just from her sultry voice… I would need to commandeer Alistair later…
"Buissness – I sold a scent recipe to the Pearl in Denerim for just over 550 Sovereigns and wondered if you were interested in the 'Scent of Lovers'? Sangra never said she wanted exclusive rights and it made her money back times three within a few months so…"
Interest lit her eyes as she motioned me to sit down. Alistair and I took the two seats across from her. There was no need to tell her that 30 Sovereigns of what Sangra paid was tab.
Lusine sat in her chair too – leaning forward and placing her folded arms on her desk, "Alright – let's see what you have. Sangra has always been a tough nut to crack – if she actually bought from you…"
I pulled out a bottle of the perfume, the oil and the soap and passed them across the table. She looked confused, "What is… you said one recipe?"
"Yes – Lovers' Embrace comes in Soap, Perfume and Massage Oil; all on the same recipe card. It also sells individually – Sangra sells them as well as having her people bathe with them because they act as aphrodisiacs. I invented the scent specifically so that brothel workers could use it – that's why it not only smells nice, it has… special properties. The scent working as an aphrodisiac is only one special quality. It would sell – per bottle – for 250 silvers a piece if that gives you an idea to the quality of the scent."
As I had spoken, she had twisted off the lid to the perfume and gave a gentle sniff – I could see the mild aphrodisiac work at once. She shifted, "I can see why Sangra paid such a sum for it."
For just a moment, I could see it on her face – she didn't really like Sangra; she wanted to one-up her badly since Sangra had been drawing in more and more customers in the last year. My sale of the scent to Sangra had been the reason – but Lusine hadn't known that until now.
She wanted this scent – and wanted it badly… very badly.
"How much of this do you have in stock at the moment?" she asked.
"100 of each type," I listed what was in my fairy Storage – because of my plan to sell it here I wasn't going to sell it in my shops.
She – like everyone in Kirkwall, thanks to the De Launcet family – knew about my plans to open said shop; she nodded, "And will you be selling this scent in the shop you plan to open?"
"That is dependent on the outcome here. If you buy, then no – I don't plan to sell it there. If you say no, then yes – I will. I see no reason for us to be rivals in the scent market – because there's another that sells that particular scent anyway; Sangra in Denerim. but you'd be a Free Marches Exclusive with Lovers' Embrace as your tourist trap – advertise the scent as the 'Scent of Love' or something – trust me; just having the new scent at all will draw in a buissness boom. People always want to look at the shiny new bauble, don't they? I bet when you get a new… worker that they're asked for all day every day and you have to direct that traffic to the others while she or he is occupied. Sangra experienced her boom just days after buying stock while she procured the necessary ingredients to make more stock. By the time I left Denerim, she already made a quarter of her money back – and was planning renovations and expansion by the time I left Ferelden."
She looked thoughtful for a moment, "With the Per-Bottle price, it would be – what – 750 Sovereigns for your whole stock of Oil, Perfume and Soap?"
"No – 500 after discount for buying in bulk." Her eyes widened, "That is… a very good discount…"
I wasn't going to tell her that I pulled the number out my ass – if it made her interested in buying the recipe and the stock then I would keep that 33% discount in play – she would only pay 2/3 the amount it would normally cost.
She bit her lip – she really wanted this; and the thoughts flashed across her face – so easy to read after getting the Archdemon blood into my system. She thought that deals like this were once in a lifetime – not many who knew the value of their product would give such a large discount or mention that their competitor had only paid a certain amount.
I stifled a smile – I couldn't have lied about how much Sangra paid me to begin with, but the discount… I'd wanted to entice her so I picked a rounded number that seemed reasonable for a discount – only calculating percentage after I said it out loud.
Alistair kept giving me smiles – he knew that I was winging it, but at least his smiles looked like those of a man in love rather than 'I know what you're up to' smiles.
Lusine finally caved, "I'll take your whole stock and the recipe – I'll pay 600 for the recipe; making our transaction come out to 1100 Sovereigns." This put my total earnings at 13,000 Sovereigns over the last year and change. I'd have to do a breakdown to see if it was more or less than that over all…
I began writing out the recipe while she headed for her vault. While she was gone, I used my magic to pull the 300 various bottles from my bag – filling her office with Soap, Perfume and Oil.
She came back and froze, "How… I thought I would be sending people to pick it up…"
I smiled, "The Danu people have such wonderful bags – I brought it all with me today just in case this went well. I thought it best since I didn't want to trouble your people. And as a gift for such a happy transaction I present to you with the first of the jewelry items I've crafted for my shops – a necklace made of white gold, diamonds and sapphires; designed to look delicate."
She was wide-eyed – and so was Alistair. This necklace alone would cost 700 Sovereigns with how many jewels I used and the design and metal. It wasn't just made to look High-Class… it was high-class. The design was from Earth – so it was unique to me at the moment.
She looked like she thought that this was the best deal she had ever made. No one in Thedas would give such an expensive 'gift' to someone for a transaction that was worth only 63% more than the gift in question.
She took the box where the necklace was nestled in velvet. "Thank you. Is this the kind of thing you plan to sell in one of your upcoming shops?"
I smiled, "This would be one of the lower end items for the nobility, yes. I plan to sell items for both the common and nobility. In all things – the dish items, glassware, teas and soap – there will be items of less expense and more."
"This is… lower end?" Alistair asked in shock.
I nodded, "Yeah – the least expensive thing that the Nobles would by costs about 500 Sovereigns while the most expensive would costs a minimum of about 8-10 thousand. I plan to use rare jewels in lots of my high-end jewelry… I even managed to work something out so I have the Danu version of sending stone rather than what we use for the exclusive line – Connection by Ara. Keep in contact with your loved ones and be fashionable while doing it. They'll be sold as a set – hence the large price tag. And sending stones are rare in Thedas – but Earth Sylphs can make them. The Princess has given me exclusive use in Thedas so… exclusive. My Soap series also had scents that are rather… expensive. I mean, my personal scent is worth 3 Sovereigns a bottle – that might seem unreasonable to most people, so it actually won't be a popular thing until they spritz a bit of the sample perfume I'll have out."
Yes – I planned to set my shops up like modern shops; I'd have sample bottles of the perfume out, I'd have plates and bowls on stands, a tea set would be set on a tray above the delicate looking boxes they'd be packaged in, and jewelry would be in glass display cases. I planned to have the Jewelry and Tea shop set up with a divider between the two areas. The tea shop would be set up like an apothecary – so they could dictate how much of which teas they wanted; the price would be by the pound. The Jewelry area would be done in blue and white marble with black case stands and dark blue velvet to put the jewelry on inside.
For the Soap half of the other shop, I was thinking Bath and Bodyworks style with a pale purple undertone – lavender always put people at ease so I would also have the plant hidden in the pattering paint. And finally, for the Dish shop, I was thinking of making it with 'floating' sculptures – coffee or tea being poured from a tea cup onto a plate or into a bowl was my main thought. The walls would be a vanilla color. The floors would be marble – in all the shops.
Lusine nodded, "I'd like to know when you're open for buissness, darling."
"I'll be hosting a Grand Opening – each person who shows up and makes a purchase on opening day will receive a little basket kit. A random sample size of Soap, a separate scent of oil and Perfume; they'll also get a tin of a random tea, a miniature pot and tea cup to make and drink that sample with, and a loofa – a bath item to help you wash your body with the soap. It's called a door prize – though usually those prizes are given for just showing up. The baskets will be available while supplies last and I've had my people putting those things together since the idea of opening an actual shop was decided on."
Those were being stored in the fifth empty room. All the jewelry was kept in my Jewel-Crafting room.
She smiled, "I'll be sure the word is spread closer to when you plan to open – and if anyone asks about the necklace, I will be sure to tell them it was a gift from Ara – a new designer that plans to open a shop within the year."
I nodded, "I should be up and running in about 6 months if all goes well – the De Launcet family will be buying the shops in my name and I will reimburse them past that. It was nice doing buissness Lusine dear – but I must get back to my companions and finish our investigation into the disappearance of a few Templar Recruits. If you hear anything about that…"
"I will send word at once, of course."
"Thank you – come on, Alistair; Hawke and the others should have talked to the Templars about Idunna by now…"
"Ah – it was your group that discovered her blood magic?" Lusine looked nervous – and I knew at once that she knew Idunna was a Mage – but not a Maleficar.
"Yes – they can't always be so open, can they? I am sorry about that unfortunate bit of… that one of your people was killed under your roof when you didn't know that she was a Maleficar."
"Not at all – and if she tried to kill your friends then I suppose it's only fair they retaliate. No worries," she looked relieved. We left the office in search of Hawke.
After the Templars dealt with Idunnas body and took statements, we used my place to quickly navigate to dark town. It took a while to get to the right spot for 'Enemies among us' (Chose to do that first since a vision indicated that Emeric still needed to get to Dark Town); not everything was as small as the games depicted, after all.
We had picked up Anders on our way when I said that Keran had been tortured and would need healing. Thankfully, the Clinic had been empty. Anders and Alistair exchanged the 'weren't you a grey warden?' dialogue and I had rolled my eyes at that. We'd also grabbed Carver and Fenris.
"You think we can do this without… aid?" Carver asked. I snorted and looked at Alistair. "Dear, you think you can do an Area Smite on some Blood Mages?"
He snorted at the question, "I can – ever since what you did for me at the Vigil, my power has increased quite a bit as a Templar. I did let Avernus know – since we knew that could increase Mage abilities but we didn't know about the Templar aspect."
I blinked, "I… was not expecting that. Just giving you a small transfusion of my blood did that?"
"You can increase a mages power?" Fenris asked. "Well… yes. But I keep myself shielded when possible, and on top of that, my blood evaporates if I don't personally extract it – you saw that. No one can use it without my permission, it seems. There are other properties to it, but if I tell you now, two people won't end up where they need to be…" because if they knew I could cure the taint, Hawke wouldn't let Bethany or Carver be conscripted into the Wardens.
"I will accept that… for now."
We began clearing the area, Alistair refusing to allow me near the front of the action after earlier, thus causing me to rely on Magic and shurikens. I was mentally rolling my eyes about it… he wasn't even this bad after Honnleath when I had been absolutely covered in blood.
"Alistair… love… is there something you want to tell me?" I asked during a lull in the fighting. Everyone perked up to listen in.
The King shook his head, "No… why?"
I narrowed my eyes before smiling sweetly and saying, "Because you're being more of an ass than you were in the Deep Roads during the Blight. I just thought you might know something I didn't – because you weren't even this bad after Honnleath and I was covered in blood and had…"
He flinched and rubbed at his neck, "I mean… that was during the Blight… and you were… I had to kill the darkspawn before I could make sure you were safe that time. Do you know what it did to me when, every time I looked over, all I could see was you slumped over and covered in blood? I was… terrified; learning that caused a miscarriage just made it so much worse. And then… the battle with the Archdemon… you recall what I did after you climbed it and it threw you? And don't get me started on Soldiers Peak! There is a reason I call you an indestructible Goddess…"
I snorted, "Yet now, I get a scratch on the Wounded Coast and suddenly I'm relegated to stand at the back of the group? Didn't Aedan tell you I lost an arm in Kal'Hirol? Did anyone tell you?"
"Excuse me?!" Alistair shouted as the others looked at me. "Oh… I take it he didn't tell you? One of those talking darkspawn snuck up and just… wacked it off. It grew back within a half-hour fight. I blacked out, but I know the timing because Aedan and Anders were tracking how long the fight was…"
Alistair whirled to look at Anders who put his hands up in surrender. "Is this true? She lost an arm?"
"Er… you know she can't lie… right?" Anders asked.
"Well… yeah… but… please tell me she suddenly gained that ability…" Anders shook his head. "Afraid not; she wouldn't let me heal her before shoving me off to assist Aedan in the fight, either. Though her guards did say that Fairies re-grow lost limbs…"
Alistair yanked me into a hug. I exclaimed, "Ooof!"
"Please… let me care for you? Let me protect you while I'm here; you seem to get into so much trouble when I'm not around…"
I caught Isabela smirking at me as Fenris was watching me with a calculating look. "Ugh… fine. I guess. But remember what happens if you get injured… I won't be held responsible for that!"
He smirked, "I can do that too you know – we're lucky it didn't happen before. Besides, I think it's attractive. Maybe I'll get injured in a fight while I'm here…" I lightly punched him in the arm.
We rounded a corner. Fenris looked as though he was about to ask something when we heard, "How wonderful, more Vessels for our experiments."
I looked over at the woman; Tarohne. She was short… 5'3 like me, with short blond hair and clear grey eyes. He lips were deathly white-blue and her once tan skin looked like it had been stripped of color. She was possessed, for sure. The Aura around her reminded me of Kinlock Hold abominations.
"Where is Keran?" Hawke asked.
She ignored him as the people behind her shuffled. They were all covered head to toe. They also had possessed Auras but I was unable to tell anything else from them.
"Perhaps one of the demons will find one of you suitable."
"She, um… if you couldn't already tell, all four of them are possessed, Hawke. Good thing Demons have no way to take me; do you see her? Ugh, I'd rather die again." Hawke and Alistair snorted as Fenris shot another look at me.
"Always the demon thing… can't you people say no?" Anders snarked and Alistair rolled his eyes.
"I am not some hopeless waif that ran crying to a demon! I sought them out… and embraced them!"
Hawke straightened and crossed his arms before demanding, "Why have you taken the recruits?"
"Demons can inhabit much more than mages and corpses. With assistance, they can control anyone I ask: any Templar… any Noble… and well-meaning meddler."
"You do know I cut a path through your… abominations, right?" Hawke sighed.
The bitch just smirked. "Good, good! The demons like spirit! If a few more Templars fall to the demons, we can seed chaos in their ranks. How many abominations can they discover amongst their own before it drives the knight-commander crazy?"
"Tell me now; where is Keran?" Hawke asked slowly as though talking to a child.
"The experiments need so much fuel, you see. So many living vessels are found… wanting. Useless Vessels can still feed the compost heap, so it's not a complete waste."
"Good to know you're barking mad; that makes things so much easier," Hawke was pulling his staff out, which prompted others to pull their own weapons.
"In days of old, the Tevinter Imperium spanned the known world. Demons were their allies; held in check by knowledge and power. With a wave of my hand I could do more than a Templar can achieve in their lifetime. Yet they command us? Absurd! We should be ruling them; we should rule you all! Kill the Vessels only if you must!" she shouted, starting the fight. Alistair was fast on his smite.
She hadn't changed, surprisingly. But her… companions had. Once they were all dead, I ran over to where the cage had appeared. I saw Keran in it, and the moment I reached out and touched it, it vanished.
Keran groaned as Anders rushed over to heal him. He was covered in cuts and bruises. He was 5'9 with shaggy blond hair, bright blue eyes and pale skin… I admit I was beginning to miss earth's diversity. Keran wore only a pair of thin trousers.
Hawke spoke gently, "Keran?"
"Yes, that's my name. Oh, thank the Maker; I thought he had abandoned me."
"But… is it only Keran? It could be Keran plus one; a very nasty plus one, at that." Varric asked, causing everyone to look at me.
"I never… I never understood why people could be so terrified of mages. Our family had two; you and Bethany… but this… Andraste was right to warn against Magic."
"Carver, are you saying they should lock up Garrett and Bethany?" Alistair asked, horrified.
"That is not what I meant! It's just that I never really saw it from their side before; now I do."
I sighed. "The Templars have faults too. Don't want to listen to someone who has magic? Ask Alistair; he used to be one, or close enough."
"It's true. It's like any group of people really; the good ones and the bad. I knew one man who, right after taking his vows, was disciplined and transferred for beating the younger mages; others in my 'class' talked about how mages were no more than slaves. There are good ones, but… there is two sides to every tale, friend." Fenris had stiffened at those words, but said nothing as Carver looked away.
"Anders, can you tell if he's… possessed?" Hawke asked. Anders nodded, his hair flopping into his eyes as he walked up to Keran and shot a bolt of spirit magic through him.
"What the…!" Keran exclaimed. "If there was a demon in there, it would have defended itself; looks like he's safe."
"You could have asked me. Keran is more than safe." I nodded, handing the half-naked man a shirt. He pulled it on with a nod of thanks.
"Go ahead and leave Keran. We will meet you at the gallows in a few hours." I said, giving him some shoes and a sword. "This is so you can defend yourself on the way out of Dark Town. Don't misuse it."
I was ticked that Carver had said what he did – I had never brought him on the mission so I didn't know that he would say such a thing… I would have left his ass at home if I had known ahead of time. I thought I knew everything about the game… I was wrong.
Once he was gone I led our group on another 15 minute walk to where Emeric was. The Carta was easily taken care of with our group. I had sent Anders back to the Clinic and used only my blades in this fight.
Hawke once more took point. "You okay there?"
"Thank you, Serah, for coming along when you did. I am Emeric, a Knight with the Templars."
"Just the person I was looking for! I need to speak with you about Ninette." Hawke gave him an award winning grin. That's when Emeric noticed Alistair. "Your Majesty!" he dropped to on knee as Alistair groaned.
"It may not look like it, but this is a vacation. You know, leave the crown at home; spend time with the love of my life… kill bad guys… vacation!" I was laughing as I bent double at his words.
Hawke and Varric smirked as Fenris allowed his lip to twitch and Carver lifted an eyebrow. "Er… yes your majesty…"
"Ninette," Hawke prompted as Emeric stood. The Templar was 5'11 with greyed hair and dark eyes that I could hardly make out as blue.
"Ah… Ghyslain de Carrac's wife; her disappearance interested me; I tried looking into it but the investigation is a waste of time."
"That sort of attitude will never pay off," Hawke sighed.
"I admit, I was eager at first, but failure has leached all enthusiasm from me. This all started when Mharen – one of our circle mages – disappeared; I found it odd. She was a bit older and not at all adventurous… then I heard about Ninette and two other missing women."
"I had a friend who disappeared once. Turns out he was under my bed, drunk! What?" Varric looked around as everyone gave him dark or sad looks.
"I believe they're connected, and I suspect foul play is involved."
"Have you mentioned it to the City Guard?" Hawke asked. Alistair was holding me from behind, nuzzling my neck and I gave a low growl.
"Of course, but without proof of connection… they believe the women just left home; it happens all the time."
"What about the Phylacteries?" Alistair asked softly. Hawke repeated the question about Mharens Phylactery.
"Well… we followed it to a foundry in Lowtown, but there was nothing there. I had heard of sympathizers smuggling mages through Dark Town, so I was hoping to pick up the trail here. There's no trace of her, however; and as you've seen, locals haven't made me very… popular," the Templar sighed.
"Mages routinely leave the Circle; perhaps your mage wanted freedom?" Hawke lifted a black eyebrow.
"Mharen is… was a loyalist. And her Phylactery has gone dark. If she escaped it killed her, Serah. She received a bouquet of White Lilies from a suiter; some of us thought she had gone to meet him. Relations may be frowned on, but they aren't forbidden. Perhaps that is linked to it?"
"Would you hand over your notes, Ser? I get the feeling you've given up on this investigation." I asked.
"Take them, if you wish. This battle showed me that I am no longer the Warrior I once was. I know when to walk away."
Alistair had been teasing me – and not subtly… I would deal with him at home.
