Soon, a former Templar named Rolan came as a new recruit for the Wardens. Claire watched him carefully, glaring at him any time he caught her eye. She needed to leave. She couldn't handle having Anders' joining with Justice being so close at hand, but she didn't want to just leave him either. That night when she went up to his room, he could tell she was agitated.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "What's going to happen, or is this another one of those things you can't tell me?"

"That Rolan pisses me off." She said. "Bloody Templar, hasn't changed, doesn't care that he's no longer a Templar, he's still loyal to the order. I don't like Evan sending you out with him all the time."

"If you were anyone else, I would say you're worrying for nothing, but there is something, isn't there?"

"I don't know... it's possible. If so, I don't know when." She paced the room. She didn't know when, but she could feel it would happen soon. "I need to look into the Templars. I know you don't want me to, but there is something seriously wrong with them, and I must do something before they hurt you." Anders looked surprised.

"I can't say I've ever seen you this angry, and it's frankly scaring me."

"I don't know if they will do anything, Anders, but dammit, I cannot bear to see them so close to you, as if taunting us. I cannot let them have you!" She grabbed Anders and buried her face into his shoulder, grateful for him wrapping his arms around her and squeezing. She didn't want to lose him, but it was inevitable. She could at least try to take care of the Templars beforehand.

"Please, love... please be careful." He murmured, his voice cracking. "I couldn't bear to lose you to them either."

"I will do my best."

That night, she went into Rolan's dream and got as much information as she needed on his order. There was a small sect of Templars that hadn't been destroyed by the darkspawn like he'd said, and she learned of their location. To her dismay, she knew his plan to betray Anders was coming sooner than she'd expected.

In the morning, Claire kissed Anders goodbye, and left to find the Templars. He watched her walk away, feeling as if something horrible was going to happen to her, but surely she would know? But no, she hadn't known about other things that had happened, so it was possible she was walking into a trap, blind, and she was doing it for him. He still didn't know how she'd gotten the phylactery, but he had his guesses that she had continued walking the Fade physically despite him not wanting her to, especially since he had seen her vanish on a few occasions. He knew why she had continued her practicing, and that was why he'd not mentioned it to her, though he felt conflicted.

On the one hand, she had gone behind his back to practice something dangerous that he didn't want her doing for her own safety, but on the other hand, the good teleporting could do outweighed the risks. He wished he'd talked to her about it, but he couldn't change his mind about protecting her, so he kept quiet. He knew he was too hard on her, and he regretted taking his frustration out on her. How could he not trust her?

That night, Claire was not in the Fade. Anders waited, and waited, but she never showed up, and he grew worried for her. He was set to leave in the morning with Rolan and Justice on a routine scouting trip, but he didn't want to leave without knowing what happened to her. When he woke, he went straight to Evan.

"Evan, something happened to Claire." He said. "She said she was going to look into the Templars, that there was something wrong, but she wouldn't say more, and she wasn't in the Fade last night."

"Are you worried about being sent out with Rolan?" Evan asked.

"I don't know... maybe." Anders paced the study, frustrated. "Maybe it's just my being an apostate that makes me distrust even former Templars."

"Justice will be there with you, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." Evan tried to hide his own worry, but Anders knew him well enough to see through it. "I'll look into what Claire was investigating. Do you know where she went? She didn't mention anything to me."

"No, she didn't say..." Anders grew even more worried, not knowing where she'd gone, especially if she'd teleported there, it could have been anywhere. "Dammit, I know she's done similar before, but it's not right. I need to know she's all right. I remember what happened in Fort Drakon with you..."

"Yes, and had the effects not worn off, she would be there still, I think." Evan said, grimly. "I will do all that I can to find her, and I need you to pretend everything is still normal. Go on the mission, and tell no one of what we spoke of."

Anders sighed and nodded, then stepped closer to Evan, whispering. "Before she left, she gave me my phylactery. She said she put a phylactery full of pig blood in its place, but what if they knew? What if that's why she's missing?"

Evan grimaced. "That is not comforting to think about, but I'm thankful to hear you're at least free of your leash. Would that I could be free of mine! Just... not at the cost of someone I care about. We'll find her, Anders, I swear it."

Anders sat on a boat, huddled under his cloak as the rain beat down on them, and tried to get the dark thoughts out of his head. He had murdered all of those Templar, and the Warden that was there as well, and he couldn't get the smell of burnt flesh out of his memory. If Claire was still alive... she would surely know how to find him, but if not... he didn't want to think about it. He was a changed man and he had a new life ahead of him, bound with Justice. He had made a deal with the spirit, and he had felt his anger change his friend inside of him. Claire would be better off without him. Had she even known? Perhaps she had thought she could defeat the Templars beforehand, perhaps to stop it from happening, but failed. He hoped he'd get to ask her some day...