Chapter 36; To make a deal
Characters of the Chapter
Tallis Ben Hassrath operative
Iledia Agent of the Inquisition, mage advisor in matters of the arcane in the court of Queen Daenerys
Tallis sighed tiredly, murky thoughts drifting in her head, feeling utterly miserable. She was in a cell somewhere beneath the Red Keep. The space was cubical in shape, made of the same reddish stone as the castle itself. There were some straws haphazardly strewn across the floor, otherwise the room was completely bare. The monotony of the stone walls was broken only by a single wooden door reinforced with iron and a small window somewhere above and behind her. She had heard of the black cells, where people hereabouts shoved their worst criminals, but thankfully this didn't seem to be one of them.
She was sitting on the ground against the wall farthest from the door. Her wrists were bound together with handcuffs which in turn were attached to a chain dangling from the ceiling, securing her hands above her head. Another set of cuffs bound her ankles together in the same way. If that had been all they had done there might have been a chance for her to free herself; she knew the release catch to most shackles ever designed. But no such luck, apparently her captors had decided to use a magical form of restraint as well. Bands of green magic circled around her wrists, ankles and knees. Dozens of runes of brighter green on those bands of magic slowly flowed around her bound limbs in endless loops. She had never seen magic like this; the only thing she knew was that she could do nothing about it without getting to the mage that had cast the spell. Not that it mattered all that much. Even if she got free from her restraints, escape was unlikely, since she was not at her best currently.
The only piece of clothing she had been allowed was a dirty shirt that reached below her knees. Everything else they had taken away from her out of fear she carried concealed weapons and equipment. For the same reason her red hair was open and currently an unkempt mess, having been roughly shorn to about half its original length with a blunt knife (an unpleasant process, and certainly not the way she would have liked to have her hair cut). The right side of her face was swollen, covered with a yellow-black bruise as large as her palm, her right eye wouldn't open. There were cuts and other bruises all over her. After they had caught her they had thought to interrogate her for what good it did them. She had spent a day strapped to a table while two brutish men had asked her an endless stream of questions. Eventually her snarky, sarcastic replies had caused tempers to flare and she had been beaten within an inch of her life. The worst had come just after they were finished with her. One of her interrogators had thrown her to the ground and kicked her in the leg hard enough to break a femur. She was astonished she hadn't been raped as well. Oh, they had pawed her during the interrogation and made lewd comments about her body. One had even gone as far as to kiss her, losing a piece of his lip for his trouble (In hindsight the bite had been a mistake, since the man she had bitten had struck her hard enough to almost knock her out right then and there, leaving behind the bruise on her face). Yet neither of her interrogators had gone all the way, something had stopped them at the moment of action. After her beating she had been brought to her cell and chained her in place, after which she had blacked out. When she had recovered consciousness next the magical restraints had been in place as well. Ever since she had been there, drifting in and out of consciousness for… she wasn't sure, it was hard to measure the passage of time in a cell.
In addition to her other discomforts, she was suffering from a significant thirst. A jug and a cup made of clay were placed on the floor, but how they had figured she might be able to reach it to drink she had no idea. Perhaps it was just another method of interrogation. With the parched feeling in her throat and the source of relief so close yet so far away, she was certainly going mad right now. Then again, the methods of these people didn't seem sophisticated enough to try something like that. Perhaps it was simple negligence, an indicator that they didn't really care what happened to her. Whichever of those was the truth, it probably didn't matter either. The mission had turned into a complete mess, likely for the last time for her. She couldn't see a way of walking out of this one and odds were the locals wouldn't be in a very forgiving mood considering what her team had intended to do. There was nothing to do but wait for the end. Knowing this, a part of her had already resigned on her life. She just hoped the end would come quickly, so all this hurting could stop.
Just at that moment as she was thinking these gloomy thoughts, she heard the door of her cell open and someone enter. She didn't have the energy left to see who it was. Next, she heard the sound of liquid being poured, and then the cup was brought to her lips. She drank eagerly. The water was stale and too warm for having sat in place for so long, and it had acquired a strange aftertaste from somewhere, but it was the best drink of water she had ever had.
"Thank you." Tallis said simply when the cup was finally withdrawn, genuinely grateful. The person who had offered the drink didn't say anything in reply, simply knelt in front of her. Tallis felt a hand grasp her chin firmly but gently, turning her head from side to side. Tallis didn't resist.
"Hmm, it seems you've had a rough night." she heard a woman's voice speak. Tallis hummed affirmatively.
"I told them, I did. Complete waste of time interrogating a Ben Hassrath. They just don't have spies like we do in Thedas, they don't know how well you are trained, your kind in particular." Tallis heard the other woman say.
"Damn, that's a lot of damage. You likely have a concussion." The woman commented, pulling up Tallis's eyelids with her thumb. "So, did this happen because you talked too little or too much?" she asked next.
"Said the wrong things more like." Tallis replied with a slight smile.
"I see. Is there more damage than the stuff on the surface?" The woman asked.
"A broken leg." Tallis confirmed.
"And… did they do anything besides hit you? Did they…?" The woman queried then.
"No." Tallis replied. "It was close a few times but… no."
"That's a relief." The woman said, smiling. "At least the oafs we have for guards around here can follow some instructions."
"I can help you." she then said with a more serious face.
Tallis saw the woman raise her hand, a blue light glowing above her palm, followed by a sensation like a gentle wind blowing across Tallis's skin. The pain of her injuries receded and disappeared, including the throbbing on her broken leg, and her focus returned to its original sharpness. Tallis blinked at the sudden sensation. She felt… good, nourished and restored. She glanced at herself and noticed that her injuries had healed; she was no longer covered in cuts and bruises, there were no signs that they had ever even been there. She turned her head to look at the woman who had cast the healing spell, staring at her with both eyes now that she could open both of them once again.
"Why?" Was the first question Tallis asked, her voice full of surprise.
"Why not?" Answered the other woman. "I can't have a conversation with you if you aren't coherent. Besides, the beating you received was not something that was intended. I would have done the healing sooner, but I've been busy."
Tallis nodded her understanding. Then her eyes narrowed with anger as she recognized the face of the other woman. "You're bitch that almost managed to drown me on dry land." She said accusingly.
"Correct, although I would have used a different description. Iledia is my name, I'm a mage assigned to the court of Queen Daenerys as an arcane advisor, although to be honest the scope of my responsibilities is a bit larger than that." The woman said, nodding. Then she frowned as Tallis laughed. "What is so amusing?" she asked.
"Figures you are a Vint. Just my luck." Tallis said bitterly.
"How…?" Iledia began to ask, astonished.
"How do I know you're Tevinter? You have the look." Tallis cut her off. "Well, I suppose I'll be sold to slavery then, as punishment for my crimes?" She added with venom.
"That is not something you need to worry about. This isn't the Imperium. Even if it were, Imperial law forbids enslaving spies of any kind because of the security hazard. And even if it didn't, it's not something I would do, particularly not to someone who has already been through that." Iledia said.
It was Tallis's turn to be astonished. "How do you…?"
"How do I know you used to be a slave? You have the look." Iledia said with a smirk.
Tallis gave a dry smile. "Alright, if not slavery then I suppose it's at least a safe assumption that I'll be executed?"
"That is indeed one way this can end." Iledia confirmed. "I'm told that you will have a fair trial, but also that there exists a fairly strong case against you. You would also have to defend yourself, since one doesn't get legal representation around here."
"What are the charges?" Tallis asked only partially interested, believing that the conclusion of the trial was clear before it started.
"Espionage, infiltration, conspiracy to commit sabotage, attempted sabotage, assisted murder." Iledia tallied.
"I didn't kill anyone." Tallis retorted calmly.
"Indeed not." Iledia said with a nod. "Hence only *assisted* murder. Your friends did more than your share though. And since it was to your benefit and possibly under your orders you are going to be held responsible for those deaths."
"The others, what happened to them?" Tallis asked.
"I'm sorry, they died during the mission." Iledia replied.
Tallis hung her head. "Dammit. It was supposed to be a foolproof plan." she said sadly.
"It might have been, had you operated on the security level you expected." The tevinter woman said, smiling. "I mean, Lord Tyrion is fairly effective with the informers he has, but the locals simply aren't used to dealing with specialized spy organizations. I'm told they find such institutions and methods dishonorable, or at the very least distasteful. And in any case you had already anticipated his efforts. And the Inquisition too is a known quantity to you. What you failed to anticipate was me and my resources. "
Tallis snapped her head up, a flash of anger in her eyes directed at this smug Tevinter.
"I knew that you were coming, I knew what you were after and experience has taught me exactly what signs to look for. I'm afraid your intentions were anticipated and countered long before you had a chance to act." Iledia continued explaining, completely oblivious.
"And yet we almost succeeded anyway." Tallis said with a smirk.
The smile on Iledia's face died, soon replaced by a look of annoyance.
"True." Iledia said dryly. "I would congratulate you, but then again… I don't think a result of *almost* will satisfy your superiors, not with Gaatlok on the line. It's probably not a satisfactory result to you either, seeing where it has brought you."
"No, I suppose not." Tallis replied sourly, wondering if this mage in her cell was here just to gloat. That thought lit a flame of anger in her chest: "Tell me one more thing then, if you would. Since when does the Queen employ Tevinters?"
The question caught the Tevinter woman by surprise. "…She does not. Not as far as she knows. It's how it has to be." Iledia admitted after a pause, apparently disconcerted by the change in subject.
Tallis chuckled. "Well, well, such deception you have going on here." "Maybe I'll just blurt that out before I die." she then said, defiant.
"No, you won't be doing that." Iledia said, her voice suddenly full of menace, clearly angered by the threat Tallis had made. "Unless we come to an arrangement you won't even remember that this conversation ever took place."
"What do you mean I won't remember?" Tallis asked, concerned, a terrible possibility forming in her mind.
"I mean that I will be going into that head of yours to pull those memories out. It won't be a gentle process, or one without collateral damage. You see, memories are like tangled roots, all connected, all part of each other. If you pull up one, you're bound to yank free some others. I reckon you have quite a few memories you'd like to keep. But maybe it won't be a memory at all. Maybe it will be something more basic, like your ability to walk, or speak, or fight. All sorts of things in there vital for your ability function, not to mention your self esteem." Iledia explained with an icy calm.
Tallis stared at the other woman with eyes as wide as plates, for the first time during this conversation genuinely afraid.
"Of course, if I have to trouble myself like that, I won't be taking away just one memory. I will be rummaging through your head very thoroughly, collecting whatever piece on information I find valuable. I can do what those idiot interrogators never could. And… I can only imagine the collateral damage that would cause. I'm afraid there wouldn't be very much left of you after." The mage continued.
"You… you wouldn't dare." Tallis said, swallowing hard, trying to mask her fear. In reply Iledia brought her face to within only inches from hers:
"You don't even want to know what I'll dare if I'm pressed. Best not test it. Now, I'm not here as your enemy, but never presume to threaten me. That's a fight you will lose, knife-ears."
Tallis thought for a moment that Iledia intended to rip her mind to shreds right then and there. Then the mage seemed to calm.
Iledia sighed loudly, pinched the bridge of her nose, and gave a small smile:
"Isn't it funny how much bad blood there is between our peoples? We've never met, yet put the two of us, a Tevinter and a Qunari, in the same room, and were at each other's throats in no time."
"I lost friends on this mission, and you have nothing better to do than to come here and rub it in my face." Tallis accused.
The mage blinked, and expression of comprehension crossing her face, followed by remorsefulness.
"It seems I have given offense. If so then I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that your people were incompetent. They fought for their nation, and fought well." Iledia said politely, trying to soothe the tone of the conversation.
The apology surprised Tallis completely. "Well, thanks for the apology… though I suppose the crazy part is you weren't entirely wrong. I just didn't want you there telling me so when it's still raw." Tallis said after a long, thoughtful silence, sadness returning to her voice. "We did fail, and the others are dead because of this, and I'll soon follow them."
Then her expression became thoughtful as she remembered something: "Wait a minute… you said *unless we come to an arrangement*. What did you mean by that?"
Iledia smiled. "Ah, now we get to the heart of the matter. Before we were… sidetracked, I was going to offer you an arrangement. There is a mission of great importance that needs a team of people with a special set of skills such as yours."
"Let me save you some time then. I won't work for the Imperium, no matter what. If that was what you were going to propose you might as well go ahead with the hanging." Tallis cut in.
"Beheading, actually, but that's beside the point. I'm not asking you to work for the Imperium; I'm not so deluded as to think you might do that. No, this is for the Inquisition. You see, I'm one of their agents as well." Iledia explained.
"That's hardly an improvement, you are aware of the incidents between the Qunari and the Inquisition, aren't you?" Tallis commented dryly. "And besides, are you honestly trying to claim that the Imperium stands to gain nothing from this?" she then asked.
"I never said that." Iledia replied. "There are many beneficiaries, your people included, be they Qunari or Elven. Your opponents in this mission, however, are citizens of the Tevinter Imperium and their allies, so you shouldn't have any conflicts of interest to worry about."
Tallis looked at Iledia like she had suddenly sprouted a second head. "Why are you looking help against the Imperium!? "she asked, shocked.
"Because the Imperium of today… is not an Imperium I want to see succeed." Iledia admitted reluctantly. "I believe that the thing being built now is a monstrosity that will bring little besides suffering to the world. I believe that the Imperium must change before it can be allowed to grow strong. Sadly though, my opinion is in the minority, and the mainstream opposes me and mine rather violently. I've had to fight them before."
While Tallis looked puzzled by the admissions Iledia had given, the mage continued her explanation:
"This time though, they control an artifact of incomprehensible power. If they are allowed to keep possession of it they will be unstoppable. No one will be able to stand against them. Not the Twin Kingdoms, not the Inquisition, not the Qunari and certainly not my little group of fringe dissidents. And so it is in the common interest of everyone that this artifact is removed from the control of the Imperium by any means necessary."
"And you want me on this? Why? What makes you so sure I will be of use to you? You know nothing of me." Tallis asked.
"On the contrary, I did a background check on you, and thanks to the my sources I know quite a bit about you." Iledia said. "You are called Tallis, which per the Qunari tradition is your name and title both, in this case meaning *to solve*, likely meaning that you solve problems. You are a Qunari convert, originally from Tevinter, recruited after being rescued from a slaver ship. What your name was before you joined the Qunari is unknown and likely irrelevant for the time being. You are a member of the Ben Hassrath and according to reports have participated in a variety of operations, primarily in Nevarra, Orlais and Free Marches. The one that sticks to my eyes most of all is an apparently independent operation at Chateau Haine, completed with the assistance of messere Hawke and company no less."-A small smile ghosted on Tallis's lips- "Overall the picture I get from these missions is a high frequency of success, although you have also often deviated from your mission parameters. If you were one of my agents I would want to have a word with you, although maybe you just need missions where you won't feel the need to go against your orders."
Briefly Tallis narrowed her eyes in suspicion. How did even a spymaster know that much? And how had this information been collected so quickly? It could only have been a few days since her capture. There was something the mage wasn't telling her.
"Impressive." She then admitted. "But if your own sources are that good, I still don't get what you need me there for. Why doesn't the Inquisition simply handle this itself?"
"You are not making the best case for yourself by being this reluctant, or by asking so many questions." Iledia said pointedly.
"It's not reluctance to seek understanding. There's some reason for you to ask this, even though I'm your prisoner currently. And there's likely a catch in this thing somewhere. I'd like to know it." Tallis replied.
"True and true." Iledia admitted. "There are several reasons for seeking assistance outside the Inquisition in fact. First, it is no secret that the Inquisition has had its share of moles and sleeper agents. Some of these work for Fen'Harel. Based on the Viddasala incident I think you already know who he is."
Tallis nodded, remembering the briefings about the ancient elven mage of immense power.
"We have good reason to believe he wants this artefact. If we use a purely Inquisition team, there is every chance that his operatives will be infiltrated among our agents and will use us to get close to the artefact and acquire it. If that were to happen it would be a disaster beyond compare. Hence we need to limit the number of Inquisition agents on the mission to reduce the risks. Second, while the Inquisition has very capable people, and I'd have a high confidence in their ability to succeed in this despite the challenges, there are issues of... appearance of trustworthiness to consider, for lack of a better term. The Inquisition intends to destroy the artefact. We judge it too dangerous to allow its existence. However, many other factions, even some of those formally allied with us, would accuse the Inquisition of wanting the artefact for ourselves and would likely cause unnecessary complications." Iledia explained.
Tallis nodded her understanding again. She could think of several factions that would react exactly as Iledia had described, her own included.
"For that same reason the Inquisition cannot trust any single faction with this either. Having a diverse group of interested parties involved is the best way to ensure that the artefact is destroyed as is the safest course, that no one tries to take advantage and claim the artefact for themselves, and that all of us don't end up stepping on each other's toes." The Tevinter mage continued.
"Beyond that, we need people who are above average in their performance, preferably ones who are familiar with this foe. You have a good record of completed missions, this being the first mission that actually failed. There have been frequent complications, some of your own doing, this is true. But all that this shows is that you can adapt to changing circumstances and adjust your plans as a situation develops." Iledia said in conclusion.
"And the… catch?" Tallis asked.
"The catch… is that this is very dangerous work." Iledia replied hesitantly. "As I mentioned, this thing is of great value to many people, which means that it is likely very deep inside enemy territory and very heavily defended. Furthermore we have almost no intelligence on how the artefact might be protected, so we don't know the specifics of what we'll be facing. However, in return for your co-operation the Queen has agreed to pardon your transgressions and let you go. You'll be able to return to the Qunari or strike out on your own. We are even prepared to offer you employment within the Inquisition if it interests you."
Her expression thoughtful, Tallis considered the offer she was presented with.
"It's a chance for a clean slate and a fresh start on your own terms, provided you survive. And if not… it's not as if you had all that many options to start with." Iledia added.
"Your people killed my friends." Tallis said, attempting the only protest that came to mind.
"Yes. We did. But that is war. You must have known this was something that could happen. And while I understand serving alongside the factions that had a hand in slaying them might be upsetting, following them to the grave would be a poor way to honor their memory. It shan't restore them to life and it won't stop our plan. And helping us would not be betraying what they stood for. This weapon is a threat to the Qunari as well, as I told you." Iledia said.
"This has cost the Qunari two of their agents already. Does it serve them any better to lose three?" She concluded.
Tallis considered for a moment longer. "I suppose not. All right, I'm in, although I can't believe I just said that." She said finally.
"You mentioned that I'd be part of a team. When do I get to meet the rest of them?" She then asked.
"There will be a formal briefing in a few days' time, you shall meet the rest then. Your weapons and other equipment will also be returned to you at that time. I shall see you again there as well." Iledia replied.
"You will not communicate my nationality to the rest of the team in any way. Is that clear?" The mage then commanded with a cool voice.
"Understood." Tallis replied, nodding gravely, having understood the underlying warning.
"Good." Iledia said, satisfied. She then glanced at the door of the cell. "I have replaced the guards to your cell with two of my own. They are loyal to me and will follow the specific orders I have given them. You won't be harmed again."
"That's nice to hear." Tallis replied. "Um… could you get me off these? You probably were the one to cast the spell." She said then, nodding towards her restraints.
"… Soon enough. When the time for the meeting comes." Iledia replied.
"Why not now?" Tallis asked, frowning.
"Oh, it's actually quite simple. I don't trust you. Not yet anyway. I'll try to be there by the time of the briefing, but we shall see. There is another reason as well… but more on that at the briefing." Iledia explained, before knocking on the door and walking through when it opened.
"But, hold on, wait!" Tallis tried to call before the door closed again.
"Damn." Tallis grumbled to herself, annoyed that she was still to be chained. She waited until she was sure she was alone again before she allowed herself to mourn her friends. Even then she did so silently. She would not allow her captors the pleasure of seeing how deeply those deaths had hurt her.