Along with their weapons, Leiliana had also given them a key. It didn't surprise Talyn that Leiliana would already know the path they would take. The key opened all of the doors that stood in their way.

Solas stayed far back from them, leaning on his staff more than Talyn would have liked. She wanted to help him, but whenever she tried he told her to stay away. He didn't want to get her sick. Talyn did admit that her markings turning a deep shade of purple disturbed her. But she cared about Solas more.

Talyn heard the chanting before Dorian and Solas did. She had noticed over the weeks she'd been with the Inquisition that her hearing was much better than her friends. The lyrium on her skin gave her many powerful gifts. She wondered who was the one to give her such gifts, and why.

They all crouched down. Dorian and Solas followed Talyn as she peeked around a door to see a dark room, only lit with blue fade light candles.

There were about seven men and women dressed in the same spiked red robes that Alexius had been wearing. Six were in a circle, and the seventh was in the middle. There was an unfamiliar symbol on the ground under their feet. The man in the middle was walking around the circle, his arms raised to the ceiling, and his hands gripping an athame that glinted dangerously in the fade light.

"Elder One, we pray unto you." The man began. The people in the circle repeated after him.

"In your name, we offer this sacrifice."

Then he started chanting in a different language. The others joined him. It wasn't elvish, or anything Talyn had ever heard before.

The man in the middle placed the point of the athame to his chest and shoved it through. Blood leaked from his mouth as he groaned and collapsed to the ground.

The men and women in the circle began to fight. Shouting "for the Elder One", they slashed at stabbed each other until each man and woman was dead.

Talyn, Solas, and Dorian all exchanged horrified looks. Just as Talyn was about to sneak past the door, two shades crawled from the floor. Quickly, Talyn knocked two arrows in her bow and shot them through the hearts before they were discovered.

She tried to make sure they avoided as many Venatori and demons as possible. She didn't want their presence to be announced in the castle, and she knew the bodies they had already dropped were going to be found sooner or later. The less bodies, the better.

Her mark was hurting. She refused to let it show, but it was nearing agony to hold her bow. She gritted her teeth and kept going though, because she had no choice.

They came upon a massive door.

"The great hall." Dorian whispered.

"It's warded." Solas also whispered. "Only the key will get us in."

Dorian studied the door closely. "Ah, yes. Of course, Alexius would use the most complicated sort of ward imaginable." He turned to Talyn. "May I borrow some of your blood?"

Talyn looked over at Solas, unsure. He nodded.

"Why?" Talyn asked Dorian.

Dorian looked at her like she was stupid. "Because I can break the ward, with your blood. You have pure, undiluted lyrium in your veins. It's extremely potent."

Talyn shrugged and pulled out a dagger. She handed it to Dorian and held out her tattooed hand.

Dorian took her hand and sliced the palm of her hand. He tilted her hand to the side and let the bleeding wound drip into his hand. When he had enough Talyn pulled her hand away.

Dorian went to the door, and Solas healed Talyn's hand. The moment her wound was healed he let go of it.

She met his eyes.

"Solas…" She started, her voice thick with tears. "I'm sorry I left you to suffer this."

"I thought you were dead, Talyn." Solas' voice was also thick with emotion. "I'd rather suffer the most excruciating torture than feel that pain ever again."

Talyn's heart started to race. Did he just say that? It must have been the sickness that made him speak like this. There was-

The massive door creaked open loudly.

Dorian did a little dance. "Well, come on! We have a magister to kill."

They started walking up the steps.

"I have to get the amulet he wears around his neck." Dorian told them.

"You could have said that a little bit before we arrived at his door?!" Talyn hissed at him.

Dorian just grinned and shrugged.

They entered the hall, where they had been in Talyn and Dorian's own time. Talyn could see Alexius pacing across the dais where his throne was, and she saw someone sitting on the floor next to the throne.

When they drew closer, Talyn gasped.

It was Felix. But his skin was chalky, his eyes blank. He just stared blankly at the group, no recognition in his eyes.

"What did you do to Felix, you bastard!" Dorian shouted at Alexius.

Alexius' head snapped towards them, grief and rage written all over his distraught features. "I just wanted to save him." Alexius said, almost too quiet for anyone to hear him. "The Elder One said he would save him."

Talyn had an arrow pointed at Alexius. "Get us back to our own time, Alexius. We can fix this."

Alexius' eyes narrowed. "No! You were supposed to never be born! This is your fault!"

The ground started to shake then. A rift appeared between Alexius and Talyn. Talyn jumped back, knocking into Solas on accident in the process.

Demons poured out of the rift, as if the Breach had never been stabilized.

Talyn dropped her bow and unsheathed her swords. She shouted a battle cry and charged towards the demons, while Solas and Dorian started casting their spells.

She was like a whirlwind with her dual blades, slashing this way and that. The bodies of shades and rage demons fell at her feet. Talyn poured all of her rage into her swords, and as if they were living beings, her swords began to burn a bright blue flame. Her markings were glowing. Even her emerald mark was tinged with blue at the ferocity of Talyn's rage.

Whatever her swords touched, caught flame.

"The amulet Talyn!" Solas was by her side, his red tinted eyes drawing Talyn away from her rage fueled slaughter. "Get the amulet from Alexius!"

Talyn blinked, and the flame on her swords burned out. She shook her head to clear her thoughts of bloodlust and started to sprint towards Alexius. Someone used a blast of wind to clear the way for Talyn.

Talyn's eyes were zoned in on Alexius, who was standing back, a ward up around him. Talyn jumped from the back of a shade doubled over, an arrow sticking out of its chest. Her markings glowed again, and the world seemed to move sluggishly. It was almost like Talyn was looking through the eyes of someone else. Her body raised her swords, which were not on fire, but glowing like the rest of her. And then Talyn felt herself slice through Alexius' ward, and shove her swords through his chest. She heard the tearing of flesh and the breaking of bones as she landed on him.

Time sped up again, and she was herself. Talyn yanked the golden amulet hanging around the blood-soaked mage. Alexius' face was frozen in shock. She turned and saw that the hall was filled now with demons and Venatori. She also saw Iron Bull's horned head and Cassandra's shining armor. She couldn't see Leiliana.

Dread filled her heart. There were too many. There were only six of them, and probably a hundred of them.

She fought her way back to Dorian and handed him the amulet.

"Keep them off me! This is going to take a few minutes."

Talyn moved to Iron Bull's side and continued to fight. But no matter how many demons they cut down, more appeared. The shades were pushing them so far back down the hall, that Talyn couldn't even reach the rift.

"Talyn!" Talyn saw Dorian on the dais, a black rift in front of him. "We have to go!"

Talyn looked back at her friends. She couldn't leave them to die.

"Go!" Leiliana was in front of her, her sunken face cold as stone. "Prevent this future. GO!"

Talyn started to run. She cut down as many of their enemies as she could.

She ran passed Alexius' body.

And then suddenly, Talyn heard Solas yell, "NO!"

She turned around to see Alexius leaning on his elbow, blood pouring out of his mouth.

She also saw Solas staring at her, with his shirt soaked in blood.

No.

She saw Cassandra, Bull, and Leiliana being consumed by the demons.

Oh Creators no.

She stumbled towards Solas, reaching out to him. He fell, and she caught him, her markings turning purple again. She held him in his arms as he coughed. His blood seeped through his clothes onto Talyn's armor. Her hands were sticky with it.

"Talyn…"

Then strong arms wrapped around Talyn's abdomen and lifted her up. She started a deadly scream, one of pain and anguish.

"NO! LET ME GO YOU BASTARD!"

She couldn't leave him. She kept her eyes on him as she fought against Dorian. He held her eyes, until she saw the life leave his.

"SOLAS!"

Then everything was black.

Talyn was still screaming, her hands turning to a blue flame as they returned to the same hall, in much better repair. Talyn saw red. She didn't see anyone else around her, just Alexius and his surprised face. Dorian let go of her immediately, hissing in pain as Talyn's rage burned him. Talyn sprinted to Alexius, too fast for anyone to catch her, and grabbed him by the throat. The skin on his throat started to burn. Alexius moved to cast a spell, but Cassandra quickly had his hands cuffed.

"We need him to live Talyn. He needs a trial." Talyn barely heard Cassandra say.

"Boss, you need to drop the mage."

"Don't kill him!" She heard Felix's anguish.

Talyn didn't care. All she could see was Solas, with a knife sticking out of his chest. And her friends being consumed by monsters. She saw Leiliana shackled to the ceiling.

Kill him. Something dark and terrible inside her whispered. Rip his throat out. Tear apart his limbs and feast on his heart.

Yes. Her grip on Alexius' throat tightened.

Yessss. The voice continued. Show him what happens to those who cross you.

Alexius' legs were kicking furiously.

Finish him!

Something sharp and painful hurt Talyn's hand, the one that was holding up Alexius. Talyn reacted without thinking, dropping the mage.

Then Talyn smelled the forest. Someone grabbed her hand that was still burning, as if the heat of her rage didn't touch him.

"Lethallan."

The flames were immediately extinguished. The red in her vision faded away. Talyn looked to see Solas standing there.

Alive. Solas was alive.

Dorian started to explain what had happened to them. Why Talyn had suddenly grown so furious.

Solas' voice was calm and soothing, his eyes hypnotizing. "Come with me. Let Cassandra deal with Alexius."

Talyn's head snapped towards Alexius, who was still coughing, a bright red burn mark in the shape of a hand around his throat. Solas' grip on her hand tightened.

"Come, Talyn."

Talyn didn't want to punch Solas to get to Alexius, but she would.

Like he could read her mind, he whispered in her ear, "you wouldn't land a blow."

"Would you like to test that theory?" Talyn growled at him.

But Talyn let Solas lead her away from the hall. His warm hand in hers drove away the images of him lying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood.

He led her out of the castle, into the gardens that were in full bloom. It was nearing morning now; the sky was pink with the dawn. They sat down on a bench in a secluded corner of the garden.

And that's all they did. Solas didn't let go of her hand, even though it was covered in blood, and Talyn didn't talk. She just stared at the white roses and let Solas' presence cool the fire in her.

She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. He let go of her hand to wrap an arm around her. Talyn breathed in deeply and closed her eyes.

Then tears started rolling down her dirt smudged face. She sobbed, loudly, and Solas hugged her tightly.

"I watched you die." She blubbered.

Solas rubbed her back while she cried on him. "That future is dead Talyn. It will never exist."

Her sobbing slowly subsided. When she was done crying, she lifted her head from Solas' shoulder and sniffled. She kept her head down and looked at him through her wet lashes. He wiped away a tear at the corner of her mouth with his thumb. When she looked up at him in surprise, she saw that he was staring at her. He brushed a strand of hair behind her pointed ear.

The air was thick with electricity. Talyn's heart was hammering in her chest, her face was hot. Even the tips of her ears were warm.

"You stepped in front of a knife meant for me." Talyn whispered.

Solas didn't say anything at first. His eyes flickered to her lips for a fraction of a second. Solas had always been good at hiding his thoughts, his face showed nothing. But in his stormy eyes, Talyn saw a war within himself. Talyn was dying with curiosity to know what he was thinking.

Before she could ask, Solas spoke quickly, his voice rough with emotion. "I will never leave your side."

Butterflies erupted in Talyn's belly.

"Herald?" A third voice interrupted their moment.

Talyn slid away from Solas like he was on fire. She looked to see Fiona standing in front of her. She looked as awkward as Talyn felt.

"Alexius was going to help destroy the world." She said.

"Yes. He was."

Fiona took a deep breath. "If we helped you with the Breach, would you protect us against the Templars?"

Talyn stood and faced Fiona. "Grand Enchanter Fiona, I swear to you on my life and my gods, I will personally cut down any who wish to harm you. Whether or not you wish to help us with the Breach, I will be your ally."

Fiona held out her hand. "Then consider my mages and I a part of your Inquisition."

Talyn grasped Fiona's forearm. She smiled at her. "Welcome. We're more than relieved to have you."

Solas was smiling as well.

Talyn walked back into the castle and tracked down Iron Bull. He was flirting with one of the maids. A redhead, who was rather well endowed.

Talyn didn't even bother to announce herself. She just walked up to Iron Bull and stood on her tip toes to wrap her arms around in his neck.

"Oh… Uh, Boss…" Iron Bull awkwardly hugged her back. "Boss… you can let go now."

Talyn let go of him and punched him in the shoulder. "Stop calling me Boss."

Then she walked away from a very bewildered Iron Bull to find Cassandra talking with Leiliana. Alexius was already taken care of it looked like. Cassandra and Leiliana's reactions to Talyn's random hugs was more or less the same. When Talyn told them about the mages joining the Inquisition, even Cassandra whooped for joy, despite her reservations with the mages.

Now all they needed to do was close the Breach.