"Are you sure about this Talyn? Shouldn't we go back to Haven and wait for Alexius' invitation?" Cassandra asked her as Talyn headed to the entrance that Felix had instructed her to go to.
"Yeah, Boss, we shouldn't trust these strangers." Iron Bull agreed vehemently with Cassandra.
Solas, as usual, had nothing to say except for, "I will follow you, Talyn."
Talyn nodded in thanks to Solas, and said to the others, "couldn't you feel his darkness? Couldn't you feel the malice rolling off of him? I don't want to wait. I want to catch him when he's off guard. Especially since he very well could be the one that made the Breach."
"That's a serious accusation." Cassandra warned Talyn. "Especially against a magister of Tevinter."
"A mage skilled enough to play with time is powerful enough to rip a hole in the Veil." Talyn reasoned with her. "We have to grab him now."
"Well, in that case…" Iron Bull reach for his sword. "Let's kick some Tevinter ass!"
The secret entrance that Felix described was a small door on the outside of the wall that surrounded Redcliffe. He had warned Talyn that there would be more Venatori waiting inside. So Talyn held her bow in her hand and kept her eyes peeled for mages as she led them down the dark, damp tunnel.
It was eerily silent. Not even Talyn or her companions made a sound as they walked down the ancient, forgotten tunnel. Solas had summoned Fade light, and the blue light flickered dimly, casting shadows on the stone walls. It seemed they were alone.
Until there was a shadow on the wall, so fleeting Talyn wouldn't have believed it was there if Cassandra hadn't shouted out a warning. A figure dropped in front of Talyn, as if he had been crawling on the ceiling. With deadly speed the masked man lashed out with a dagger. Talyn jumped backward, the dagger barely brushing her nose. She felt the sting of a cut.
Talyn quickly replaced her bow with her sword, and grabbed her dagger that was strapped to her thigh. She felt Solas put a barrier around her.
The Venatori agent was unlike any foe Talyn had fought before. For once, Talyn actually had to work to save her own life. Two more Venatori dropped from the ceiling and attacked Bull and Cassandra, so Talyn was on her own.
The Venatori was quick and lashed out at Talyn like a viper. It took most of Talyn's energy to block the Venatori's blows. He knocked Talyn's dagger out of her hand and pinned her against the wall, one of his blades on Talyn's throat.
Talyn felt her body start to burn as her markings glowed. The world started to move in slow motion. Talyn looked down at her right hand and curled it into a fist. She looked back up at her attacker and shoved her fist through his chest.
He cried out, and his blades fell from his hands. She felt his heart beating erratically, and she wrapped her hand around it. His scream was cut off and turned into a gurgle as she crushed his heart.
He dropped to the ground. Talyn pick up her sword and dagger and helped the others finish off the other two. By the end of the battle, they were covered in blood and breathing heavily. Even Solas looked worn out.
"You should have asked Felix more about the Venatori." Cassandra scolded Talyn breathlessly. "They were almost as hard to kill as a pride demon."
"Their mages. What did you expect?"
They pushed onward. Any other Venatori they saw, Talyn was able to get an arrow in their throat before they noticed them. Felix had said that this tunnel was supposed to lead to the throne room. From there, they would have to hunt for Alexius. It was a good thing Solas was with them.
Talyn slowly pushed open the door at the end of the tunnel. They were behind Alexius' chair. Talyn knocked an arrow in her bow and quietly walked out from behind the chair.
There was no one in the Great Hall. It was as empty as the Temple of Sacred Ashes had been. And nearly had the same atmosphere as well, with the fire that was the only light in the room dimming with each second.
Talyn looked to Solas, and was about to give instructions, when suddenly, the group wasn't so alone anymore.
As if out of thin air, Alexius and his guards appeared. There was a triumphant smirk on his face.
"Ah, it is so good to see you again my friend! And so soon as well." His voice was mocking.
Talyn's bow was pulled out of her hand as if by magic and thrown across the room. Talyn narrowed her eyes at Alexius.
"Are you that eager to negotiate with me?"
"Oh, absolutely Alexius. Taking away people's freedom of choice and renting them out like mules is my favorite topic of discussion." The sarcasm in Talyn's voice was unmistakable.
"She knows everything, father." A familiar voice said from the shadows. Talyn saw Felix walk up to them.
"Felix? What have you done?" Alexius asked with dread creeping into his arrogant voice.
"Your son is concerned that you're involved with something terrible." Talyn explained with a chipper tone.
"So speaks the thief." Alexius spat at her.
Thief? What was he talking about?
Alexius sneered at her. "So, you think you can turn my son against me? You walk into my stronghold uninvited with your stolen Anchor - a gift you cannot even begin to understand- and you think you're in control?"
Alexius moved close to Talyn, inches from her face, and said with barely controlled rage. "You're nothing but a mistake."
Talyn hated that her gut had been right about Alexius. The more he talked, the more he revealed. The Venatori wanted Talyn because of the Mark on her hand. It only raised more questions than Talyn could handle, so she focused on the most important question of all.
"Alexius, what do you know about the Divine's death?".
Alexius smiled wistfully for a moment. "It was the Elder One's moment. His chance." Then his smile turned into a murderous glare. "And you were unworthy to even stand in his presence!"
Bring forth the sacrifice.
The dark voice hissed in her head. Talyn squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.
"Father, listen to yourself! Do you know what you sound like?" Felix implored.
"He sounds like the villainous cliché everyone expects him to be." Another voice interrupted them.
Dorian had also appeared. He stood by the entrance to the Great Hall, with his arms crossed over his chest and a steely glint in his dark eyes.
Alexius, if it was even possible, looked even more enraged. His face turned red. "Dorian. I gave you a chance to be a part of this, and you turned me down. The Elder One has power you wouldn't believe. He will raise Tevinter from its own ashes."
The Elder One… The name sounded so familiar. Why was it so familiar? "What's better than turning back time?" Talyn asked.
"He will make the world bow to mages once more!" Alexius had a crazed look in his eyes. "We will rule from the Boeric Ocean to the Frozen Seas! The Elder One is key to Tevinter's glory!"
"Alexius." Dorian had a pained look on his face. " This is exactly what you and I talked about never wanting to happen! Why would you support this?"
"Give up the Venatori, father, please. Give up the southern mages and let us go home." Felix pleaded.
Alexius looked almost sad as he turned to face his son. "It is the only way, Felix."
"There is no way you can save me, father! My fate is sealed." Felix stared his father straight in the eye. "I will die of this sickness. You need to accept that. "
"But there is a way! The Elder One promised, if I undo the mistake at the Temple..."
You're nothing but a mistake.
Talyn had interrupted their Elder One. It was all starting to make sense.
"Father, please!"
"No, Felix. I must save your life."
Suddenly, there were grunts of pain coming from all sides of the room. Talyn saw Leiliana's scouts standing behind the crumpled bodies of Alexius' men. Talyn grinned when she saw the Spymaster herself. She smirked back at Talyn.
That was quick.
Talyn reached for her sword. "Your men are dead, Alexius."
But Alexius didn't look defeated yet. He growled at Talyn, "you are a mistake! You never should have existed."
He reached out with his hand, and black magic oozed from his fingers, dropping to the floor and sliding across it towards Talyn like some sort of toxic fog.
"No!" Solas shouted.
Felix knocked into Alexius and broke his concentration. There was the sound of energy being shot at Talyn, and everything went black.