Chapter 10: Injured pt 2

'In all my time in the past and the fade I've never heard or seen someone attempt such a thing. It's… ingenious Commander.'

Cullen brushed off the backhanded compliment. 'Will it kill her?'

'I can't say. There are too many variables.' Solas looked up from his research spread across the table. 'Of course, not trying anything at all will lead to the exact same consequence.'

How could Solas be so calm and collected, right now? Liethe's life was hanging by a thread as he considered both sides of the situation.

'At least tell me if it has a chance of working, then!' He argued back. Mages. There was still the same inkling of fury from the Ostegar tower (and later, the Kirkwall memories) burning away. They were always so… callous about things, but he'd come to understand that sometimes, they had to be.

'There is always a chance, Commander.' Solas replied. 'I cannot say how much, however.' He added as Cullen opened his mouth. The ex-templar scowled.

'I want to do it.' Cole appeared on the table beside them, long legs coiled and ready for action. 'She's in pain and I can help her.'

Cullen noted that Solas looked at Cole with a wane smile. Probably used to dealing with spirits like his. The apostate was said to have been in the company of spirits more than living people.'I am sure that is the case, Cole, but there are things to consider. Will it harm the Inquisitor? Will it harm you? Will it succeed or will it fail?'

Will Solas actually give him a straight answer? Cullen wondered.

Cole tilted his head. 'I have to try. She'd want me to try.'

That seemed to be the end of that. Cole was willing to do it, and while Cullen still wasn't sure of the ramifications, he wanted to try, too. The alternative was losing Liethe and he would not allow that to happen.

'It seems,' Solas hazarded in the silence. 'That we have come to an agreement.'

As they made the walk from Solas' tower to the infirmary, every step made Cullen more anxious. The closer they got, the more he doubted himself. Was this truly the only way to fix this? Solas talked about the consequences unknown, about the myriad of ways this could go wrong.

The Templar in him, the voice in the back of his head that guided and drove him, scoffed that he had made his decision and now he had to follow through. It was harder when it was someone like Liethe. Someone so integral to the organization and integral to him, too, but the decision still needed to be made while there was time.

The door to the Infirmary was already being opened when they arrived. Cassandra seemed surprised to see Cullen in the company of both Solas and Cole. 'Commander,' She greeted warily. 'What is this?'

'We're here to help Liethe, Seeker. On The Commander's request.' Solas answered.

A thin black eyebrow rose and Cassandra looked sidelong at Cullen. 'Really?'

He met her stare openly. He had to be sure this was what was right. Hope was all well and good, but if this was the course he was going to take, he had to be determined. Doubt had to be eliminated. Was he truly sure that this was the way to go?

'She's hurting. Hurting, hurting, hurting-' Cole chimed in as, behind Cassandra, another scream - more ragged than any Cullen had heard thus far - pierced the air. The world solidified around him.

'Move aside, Cassandra.' He replied darkly. The other eyebrow raised to join the first and she delicately stepped out of the doorway. As Cullen went to move past, The Seeker grabbed his arm.

'I can see you're set on this course, Cullen. Have you thought about the consequences of it not going your way?'

'Yes.' He snarled coldly. 'And I'm not going to let that happen.'

The infirmary had a smell about it. Ripe and nauseating and clinical. The only bed occupied right now was in the middle of the room. Liethe looked worse than he'd ever seen her. Whiter than white everywhere but the shoulder. Her shoulder had tendrils of black and red coming from it.

She looked on death's door.

He, Solas and Cole spread out. Solas took one side of the bed, Cole took the other, and Cullen stood at the bottom, watching as the mage and spirit boy talked. "Now, Cole. You need to concentrate. You will have a split second to grab it and pull it out. I'll immediately give her a large healing spell to try and counteract the remaining red lyrium in her.'

Liethe chose that moment to open her eyes, sparkling as sunken as they were, they hooded in confusion. 'Solas? Cole?'

'Now.' Solas snapped. Cole moved so fast that Cullen didn't even see him. He'd used his ability to cloak himself but if Cullen concentrated, he could see the faint outline of the boy leaned over Liethe.

Liethe's reaction was instantaneous. She screamed, louder and higher than previously. Solas was quick to react as the screams gave way to thrashes. 'Commander, hold her down!'

By the maker he didn't want to - but he knew he had to. Determined, he reached around where he presumed Cole would be and pressed an arm against the uninjured shoulder and across her chest as she fought against it. 'Liethe, please, stop, this is for you.' He grunted. Despite being a stick of a woman, The Inquisitor almost succeeded in throwing him off. It took everything in him to hold her down while they tortured her.

When Cole de-cloaked himself, clutching a glowing red shard in his bloody fist, Solas glanced at him once to ensure he did indeed have the object and Cullen felt him pull at the fade as the apostate pulled everything he had into a healing spell.

'Commander,' Solas grunted in concentration. 'Move out of the way.'

Cullen leapt to a safe distance to one side as Solas unleashed the spell.

It washed over the entire room, he felt it. The tiredness and pervading withdrawal headache seemed to wash away as it swept past him but in the faint light of the candles, he could see the bulk of it was swirled around Liethe.

As fast as it had happened, the spell faded and all three men moved closer to the bed to inspect their handiwork. Was it Cullen's imagination or did her cheeks look rosier? Her skin less pallid.

For a second, he held his breath, waiting for her to take her own since they had pulled out the shard. Maker, what if she were dead? What if they had failed? How would the Inquisition go on? How could he?

She gasped, ragged and desperate as her eyes flitted open, a little more dazed than she had been previously. Liethe's eyes locked with his and a sly, almost shy smile slipped out. 'Hey. I'm not dead.'

Solas laughed quietly and took the shard from Cole. 'Indeed, quite fortuitous.'

'I swear, Solas, I'm going to owe you far too many times for saving my life.' She croaked.

'This wasn't my design.' The elf replied as he secured the shard and checked her healing wound. 'You have your Commander to thank for this.'

Her eyes alighted onto his, surprise and gratitude shone through them. 'Thank you, Cullen.' She whispered.