CHAPTER 11

Ellana wasn't sure what to make of Professor Fen'Harel after their meeting. His apology had been murky. She sensed there was a bigger story at play, as it didn't appear to Ellana that Professor Fen'Harel believed anything he had written in his review. Reflecting on Dorian and Bull's words from the night before, she wondered if they were correct in thinking there was something other than sabotage behind that motivated Solas to write the polemic. What else could it be?

Cradling the catalog that Professor Fen'Harel had given her earlier that afternoon in her arms, Elana felt her anger softening. He had put considerable effort into making amends. The voice he had used to speak of the collection he offered her access to had been reverent. It was evident to her after their meeting that he cared deeply about safeguarding the works, and that he must respect her scholarship on some level if he was willing to trust her with such a task.

She was intrigued, despite her unwillingness to forgive Professor Fen'Harel.

At the very least, it was kind of him to give me a ride home. The walk from the car to the front door had left her slightly less than soaked. Finding her way to public transit would have been miserable. Taxis and car services were expensive in the Orlesian capital, and although she could afford it now, she didn't want to spend her money needlessly.

Considering she and Professor Fen'Harel would be meeting together every other weekend, Ellana felt she still had time to study the Professor's motivations. And his stormy blue eyes a dark voice sang in the back of her head. No, she had not forgotten those few blissful moments they had spent together walking the quad before she had realized who he was. Knowing his identity now, however, would make any relationship impossible other than a perfunctory friendship.

Climbing up the stairs to her office, Ellana decided to put such thoughts behind her. She had learned from experience, to wait until she had all pieces of the puzzle in front of her before rushing to any conclusion. She might never learn all of Professor Fen'Harel's secrets, but she knew if she waited, some would inevitably surface over time, giving her a more comprehensive understanding of the neurologist.

She had pulled her phone out of her jacket lazily as she turned towards her office, tucking it away as there were no notifications. Reaching the end of the hall, Ellana was startled to see a woman towering outside her office door. The stranger was all legs, tan skin, and long auburn waves that fell in soft ringlets to her waist. Ellana was captivated by her severe beauty. Noticing two pointed ears, and the woman's almond-shaped eyes the color of honey, she realized she was face-to-face with a fellow elf.

"Dr. Ellana Lavellan," The woman spoke in a gentle whisper. "I was waiting for you."

Ellana was about to apologize and ask how she could help, when she saw what the mysterious woman was holding: a dead halla carcass. Rather than fleeing, Ellana felt her mind sharpen. Searching the hallway, she discovered that she had inadvertently walked into a grim scene, the entire hallway drenched with blood. She counted not only the halla in the woman's hand, but another three, all with slashed throats that had bled out in thick torrents onto every surface.

It took all of Ellana's self-control to keep her panic at bay and to remind herself that she didn't have time to dissect the scene, only that she needed to find a safe route away from it. She resolved to back away slowly, not breaking eye contact with the woman who was considering her with assiduous consideration. She fumbled for the cell phone in her coat pocket, hitting the power button exactly three times for emergency services, the operator on the other end of the line could be heard asking in Orleasian what the problem was.

"They will not save you, da'len," The woman said in melancholic Elvhen before Ellana could answer. "Put down your books and come with me in peace. I offer this gift to you only once."

Ellana carefully set down her books on the linoleum floor, and put her hands in the air. She didn't intend to go anywhere with the woman, but she thought that if she appeared cooperative, it might buy her a few more minutes to come up with a plan. Recalling from the faculty orientation guide that emergency services would be automatically triggered regardless if she answered, she put the phone down as well, relieved to see the red button on that indicated that someone, anyone, was still listening on the other end.

"You surprise me, Ellana," the woman said with admiration as if she were an intimate friend, her two eyes flashing as she stepped closer to her.

Ellana could feel the sharp sensation of static percolating in the air and noticed that the woman had dropped the halla, carrying with her a gold staff outfitted with a crystal that flickered. She is a mage, Ellana realized. A powerful one. Still, what could she want with me?

"Hahren," Ellana cajoled while silently wondering where security was. So much for that quick response time.

The woman flashed a wicked grin. "I will tell you a riddle, da'len, of the People—a hawk and a hare chase the sun. The halla flees from it, while the dragon hunts it, while the wolf outwits them all. Who am I?"

Creators, this woman is a sociopath. Ellana thought fearfully.

Ellana began to feel the electric mana thicken, closing her eyes. She pictured her reserve, building it up and pushing it outwards. There was a ringing in her ears as her spell nullified the women's magic, the forcefield of her barrier was powerful, and although she was not the most skilled of mages, the woman across from her appeared to struggle to cast. Drawing her hand out in front of her, she extended her fingers, clenching it into a fist and then releasing the full force of her power.

The woman cried out, before rapping her staff on the ground, an equal measure of mana hitting Ellana directly in the chest, forcing her down onto her knees. Placing her hands down on the ground in front of her, she fought back a wave of nausea as the air grew hot.

Ellana flashed back to a memory of standing in her Keeper's kitchen. A roving gang of humans had raided the reservation determined to pick off the elves to claim the land. Frightened, Ellana had struggled to sleep for months after, worried that they would return in the dead of night.

"Don't worry, da'len," Keeper Deshanna had consoled her, "Your magic is strong, and you can protect yourself."

Focusing on the memory, Ellana called on her minimal reserves of magic, picturing herself gathering it together like it were watery clay flowing between her fingers. She was so tired, having almost depleted her pool of mana.

"It is of the last resort," Deshanna had lectured her as a teenager, "You can always cast mind blast. It will repel anything in the room-magical and physical-but it will knock you unconscious."

Ellana was resolved not to succumb to her opponent. Falling flat on her face, she could hear the puddles of halla blood around her splash as she slapped the ground with whatever energy she had left, the loud whoosh of her spell filling the air with a current that tingled before exploding like a supernova.

Everything went black.