For three days, Ellana had been asleep, balancing between life and death. Through overheard gossip after she awoke, she learned that it was due to Solas helping her doctor that she somehow managed to live. He was able to control or manage whatever magic was inside of her, while the doctors tended to physical injuries. Naturally, this would raise numerous questions and allegations with the authorities, but they were already in custody.
She was currently sitting in an elaborate room of the Divine's estate watching the morning news, waiting for Cassandra to bring her to interrogation. If the situation wasn't already tense enough to make Ellana nauseated, she was currently seeing her face plastered all over the screen. It had been leaked that she was a central figure to the outages a few weeks ago, that she was someone trolling underneath the city, and was now under official supervision. Great. The only thing missing was Queen Celene's involvement, which can't have been far off.
What did this mean for her shop, for Clan Lavellan? She really messed everything up this time. There was no way back from this.
There was a sharp knock at the door and the nurse walked in. Leliana had arranged that the same medical professionals treat her in order to keep a low profile, and that no doubt included multiple non-disclosure agreements.
"How are you feeling?" Cole asked her while sorting her medications.
"The same."
"And your hand?"
She glanced down at her left hand, it was now constantly glowing and permanently had the green streak on it. "Also the same. Warm, though."
"No change is good." He passed her the pills, and she took them with some water.
Instead of leaving, Cole commented to her, "You're nervous."
"Wouldn't you be?"
"No. I heard them talking, they need you. They won't do anything to harm you. I wouldn't worry," he replied kindly and exited the room.
It helped ease her nerves that death wasn't as imminent as she thought, but Ellana still had to deal with the dread of waiting for Cassandra to drop by.
In the afternoon, there was another knock at the door, and the pit in Ellana's stomach tightened. It was time.
"Come in," she said when the person didn't enter.
Instead of Cassandra, a man dressed in a professional suit with sandy blond hair entered.
"Hello. Ellana, yes? I am Commander Rutherford, I'm here to escort you."
Ellana dryly swallowed and went to him. She didn't have anything to bring with her, they had taken her backpack and cellphone and hadn't returned them. They probably raided her shop, too.
She followed him down long marble halls. If she weren't in this situation, she'd admire how beautiful the place is, how divine it was. She let out a depressed chuckle, and Cullen gave her puzzled glance.
He stopped at another room similar to hers and knocked.
Ellana asked him, "Is this where we're supposed to go?"
"No. We are here for Solas."
"Oh."
Solas stepped out, nodded to Cullen, and they resumed walking. She was painfully aware of Solas' presence next to her, and images of that night kept flashing through her mind. Just remembering how she drank his blood was so embarrassing. Ellana couldn't believe that she actually did that…and enjoyed it. She sorely wished she could crawl someplace and hide.
No one spoke the rest of the way and eventually they arrived at a set of large wooden doors. Cullen opened them.
Ellana's skin immediately became hot and goosebumps rose in fear. Seated at the table in the conference room was Varric, Dorian, Iron Bull, a bearded man, Cassandra, Leliana, and a woman in an expensive yellow dress. She dragged her friends in this, people she's only known for a little over a year. Ellana knew Varric must be silently seething. She didn't know the entirety of his businesses, but some probably weren't completely legal. Him and Dorian were nice enough to welcome her to Val Royeaux when many other shop owners did not, and now she ruined her only connections here.
Cullen gently nudged her, and she stepped forward to sit in a chair. Solas sat next to her, and Cullen went next to the woman in the yellow dress.
Leliana was the first to speak, "Welcome, everyone. Especially, you, Ellana."
Ellana didn't know what to reply.
"That inquisitive nature of yours has gotten you in quite a sticky situation, hasn't it?"
"I…it has."
Leliana say back in her chair and had a thin smirk. "First question, why did you venture beneath the city?"
"I was accompanying Solas to observe something."
"Oh, we already know that. I mean why have you been traveling down there over the last few months? And before you ask how I know, I am aware of everything that happens in this city. I have on record each occasion you visited."
"If you already knew of all my visits there, then what's the point of this questioning?" Ellana was annoyed now. If they knew all along, why wait until now? Were they waiting for something to happen? For someone to trigger the artifact?
Cassandra interrupted, "Answer the question, Ellana."
"I wanted to see if there was any magic," she conceded.
Leliana asked, "Can you cast magic?"
"No. Why would you ask me that?"
"Then why search for it?"
"I wanted to see how it reacted and formed there."
Leliana faced Solas. "Tell her what you told me."
Solas cleared his throat and said, "That…mark on your hand, it acts as an anchor of sorts. Breaking the artifact caused a ripple in the magic that binds them. It is now attached to you. Artifacts and those related will probably only respond to you."
Leliana spoke up again, "And unfortunate or fortunate for you, Ellana, we need that skill."
"My hand?"
"Yes, and your experience with these things."
Ellana's face twisted and she pointed at Solas. "Solas, you have much more experience with all this. I'm sure you'd be more useful than me."
His face remained neutral. "No. Even with my ability to manipulate spells, I cannot do what you can."
Leliana chuckled, "I need the both of you. I've already explained everything to Solas, and he has agreed."
Ellana stared at her. "What is it that you need us for?"
"The Divine has sanctioned efforts to uncover and learn more about this magic and such. I have uncovered news from my teams in Tevinter that the Black Divine is doing investigations and experiments of his own. And that is where you all come in," she waved her hand at Ellana, Varric, Dorian, and Solas.
Varric slammed his hand on the table and leaned toward Cassandra and Leliana. "I have no idea why this involves me. I have my own issues, and none of them involve this elfy mage stuff in any way."
Cassandra scoffed, "You owe me, Tethras. I figured you'd be interested in the lyrium aspect of this, but if not, you are free to leave."
"Fine, Cassandra. You have my resigned interest." Varric retreated back in his seat.
Dorian took the moment to speak up for himself, "And me? Because I'm an altus and my father is a magister?"
Leliana smiled. "Very astute, Mr. Pavus."
"What makes you think I wouldn't align with Tevinter, hm?"
"A privileged man from Tevinter such as yourself wouldn't move to Orlais just to open a bookstore, would they?"
He sighed and said nothing back.
The woman in the dress straightened her paperwork and introduced herself, "Hello! My name is Josephine Montilyet. I am working as a diplomat between Antiva and Orlais. I'm here to make any international relations go smoothly. Your travels will undoubtedly take you across borders and gain the attention of many."
Cullen cleared his throat after Josephine finished, alerting that it was his turn. "As all of you already know, I'm Cullen Rutherford. I will ensure none of the templars give you any trouble." He flashed his templar badge, indicating his status as an officer.
When the bearded man didn't say anything next, Leliana introduced him, "This is Warden Blackwall. He will be able to accompany you as well."
Blackwall crossed his arms across his chest and grunted.
"Wait, like the Grey Wardens?" Ellana asked.
"Still ever inquisitive. Yes, like the military branch," Leliana said has she waved her hand at someone near the back of the room. After a minute or so, a young blonde woman was brought in.
"Watch it!" The woman yelled at the man leading her.
Cassandra rolled her eyes and exasperatedly announced, "…And this is Sera. She is the one to blame for your face being all over the news."
Sera walked to them and countered, "The people out there deserve to know what you guys are hiding. Why are enlisting this girl, huh? And these people? What is that Divine of yours planning against us? It's known that she plays that Game or whatever."
Leliana answered her, "Calm yourself, Sera. This is why I had you brought here. I want you to leak all of the information we find to your Jennies and the press."
Sera's nose wrinkled in confusion. "Wait, you want me to leak everything?"
"Yes."
"Why's that?"
"The reason why is for me to know. I'm offering you free access, take it or leave it."
Sera looked out the window for a few seconds before turning back and with a stomp of a foot, she declared, "Fine, I'll take it. But what I'll tell them won't be pretty."
"I don't expect it to be," Leliana paused then continued, "I believe that was everything. The attendants will escort you all back to your rooms where detailed informational files will be waiting."
"Hey! And me?" Iron Bull blurted.
Leliana motioned to him, "Ah, yes. How could I forget the largest thing in the room? This is Iron Bull, some of you have already met him. He'll directly report to me."
People began to gather their things and shuffle away. Ellana tried to catch the attention of Varric and Dorian, but they both avoided her and left. Eventually there was only Solas, herself, and Leliana in the room.
"Leliana, I never accepted to do this," Ellana said offhandedly.
Leliana sharply met Ellana's gaze. "Please, Ellana. Don't make this more complicated than it needs. You obviously have an interest in these things, put it to use. But I will point out that I do not need your consent, just you."
The way Leliana plainly told this to her sent a shiver down her spine and spiked that familiar feeling of fear. "I understand."
"I'm glad to hear it."
Ellana fumbled to get out of the chair and leave. Solas left with her, close behind. By the time they made it out of the room, they noticed there were no attendants in the hall.
"Do you remember how to get back to the room?" Ellana questioned him. If she could get to the area, she would be able to figure out the rest.
"Yes, but there is someplace we should visit first. Leliana informed me about it earlier, but I didn't get the chance to visit. Since we are both free now, I think you might want to come along."
"Fine," she agreed. Being dragged to random places was going to be the new normal, anyway.
He took the lead and she followed, just like that night. She rolled her eyes at herself and huffed in annoyance, that night was something she'd rather forget. She got herself in this mess, and it was time to pay the price. This price just happened to be expensive.
"Are you all right, Ellana?"
"Depends."
"Do you feel weak or light-headed?"
"Not really." It wasn't exactly a lie or a confirmation. She was feeling fine now, but she did almost faint the day before after standing too suddenly.
"Good. It seems they took my advice."
"Do I have to ask, or..?"
"I just recommended certain procedures that are more helpful for elven treatment. Certain blood types, too."
"I see."
"Also, we're here now."
Ellana observed around her, it seemed that they were in a different wing of the building. Solas opened a door that led to an expansive room.
A tall, dark haired woman came to greet them. "Ah, they said you would drop by. They didn't say it would be two elves, though. Anyway, I'm Morrigan."
"Morrigan! That's not a proper way to greet," a different woman chastised. Unlike Morrigan, she was an elf.
The elf faced them with a smile on her face, vallaslin on her cheeks lifting upwards. "I'm Merrill."
"Ellana," she replied plainly.
Solas stepped forward and shook their hands. "Solas."
Ellana suppressed her irritation, it did no good to be rude. She stepped forward as well and smiled to the women.
Morrigan and Merrill showed them around. It seemed as though Divine Justinia had sanctioned investigative efforts far earlier. There were labeled and tagged objects the two women were currently studying scattered on tables, it was a mixture of things from each country. The most surprising was the table that held tools the Mortalitasi used during medieval Nevarra. Since Ellana now knew necromancy was definitely possible, she unsuccessfully imagined how those tools would be used. She filed this in her brain for later.
Ellana busied herself fiddling with something while Solas and Morrigan bickered over the accuracy of something historical.
Merrill coughed to gain everyone's attention.
"Solas and Ellana, I think you'd like to see the most impressive object we've managed to acquire."
Morrigan frowned. "We said we'd wait to show them, Merrill."
"There's no harm in showing them now, is there?"
"Ugh, fine. Follow me."
Displeasure apparent, Morrigan brought them to a hidden closet. With her hand on the handle, she sternly told Ellana and Solas, "What is behind this door remains between us. We don't want everyone knowing what we have, especially that Sera girl."
Morrigan opened the closet, and Solas rushed in when he realized what was inside.
He ran a hand over the intricate metal border carvings and sternly asked, "How did you find an eluvian? One intact, at that?"
Morrigan sauntered to him and replied, "Surprised humans managed to find one? It was randomly found near battered ruins on the border of Ferelden and Orlais. Everything around it was destroyed, but it managed not to be affected. Curious, isn't it?"
Merrill prattled about how the eluvian was discovered, and how King Alistair heavily insisted in its destruction. This is the reason why Morrigan was keen on keeping this a secret, he was under the impression that it was destroyed and disposed of.
Ellana stared at the mirror, if it could be called that. It didn't reflect any images, but instead was a dull grey with a slight sheen of light across it. She always imagined the eluvians would be less...less plain. It was tall though, that assumption of hers was correct.
She reached out with her left hand and placed it firmly against the cold glass of the mirror. The eluvian fizzed in reaction to the anchor and went dull once more.
"So, that hand does do things," Morrigan said.
Merrill eyes went wide, and she snatched Ellana's hand, stretching and analyzing it.
"Merrill, it's still my hand. That's just skin," Ellana noted.
The other elf returned the hand, but her gaze was still affixed on it. She soon went off and didn't return.
"Ah, don't mind her. Knowing Merrill, she's probably writing notes about you," Morrigan clarified.
Solas and Morrigan resumed talking about the eluvian, and Ellana was beginning to feel that she was intruding in some way. She left them and entered the main area, and Merrill still wasn't anywhere to be seen. Ellana wanted to look at what else was placed out, but she didn't want to mess anything up further. She decided to go back to her room.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the shuffle of footsteps coming up behind her.
"Ellana, why didn't you say you were leaving? I would have walked with you."
"Oh, Solas. It's really nothing. You and Morrigan really seemed to be hitting it off, didn't want to ruin that."
He glowered. "Morrigan. A woman who knows less than she thinks."
"And then there's you, a man who knows more than he lets on. Good match, I'd say," she snickered.
Solas stopped and glared at her.
"No need to look at me like that, Solas! It's pretty obvious with the way you act, all shifty and suspicious. You just happened to find a mysterious elven artifact and can walk through dreams. You seem to be fluent in elven, even though you're obviously not Dalish." She was now fully laughing.
"This amuses you?"
"The craziness of all of this? Absolutely."
He smiled but didn't reply and continued walking. The two of them chatted about random things but mainly focused on the current situation of helping the Divine.
When they reached her room, he remarked, "And…Ellana. If you feel as though the medication and blood they are supplying are not enough, you know where my room is."
"What are you implying?" She stammered.
"I don't think I have to elaborate. It is well documented that fresh blood is–"
"Okay, I get it. Thank you for the offer, Solas. I don't think I'll need to, but I appreciate it."
"Most of the staff is asleep shortly after midnight."
"Solas!"
"There is nothing to be gained in being coy. You are still recovering, and I am letting you know in the event that you need to come to my room."
Ellana was avoiding his face and stared at the ground. Her right hand fussed with the hem of her shirt. She let out a frustrated sigh and entered her room without giving him a reply. Thankfully, as Leliana has said, there was an assortment of documents at the desk.
On top of the files, it was her phone and a new laptop. She grabbed her phone and gave a small prayer before turning it on. As expected, there was a barrage of text notifications and missed calls. Her face being all over the news for the better part of Thedas certainly didn't help. Ellana called her parents to soothe their fears and lie about the situation she was in, before placing the dreaded call to Deshanna.
After explaining what she could to her Keeper, Ellana had her food brought to her and spent the rest of the night reading the files. It was all information on leads that Leliana's scouts had uncovered and reports on Tevinter. Josephine wasn't kidding when she mentioned that this could take them across borders – these leads were in Orlais, Ferelden and Tevinter. Some of them involved elven ruins, old circle towers, and giant spider sightings. The latter made Ellana grimace, since magic had left, spiders had become drastically smaller. Small enough that they were common house pests.
Her text tone went off and she unlocked the screen to see the message.
Solas – 1:45AM
At this hour, the estate runs on a small team in this wing.