The one who had spoken

Into shadow crept and made himself away.

North, to the road, Minrathous bound.

Fear grasping at his every breath

That none might stop his brethren

Save the Archon himself.

Silence 2:5

For as terrible the entire evening had been, returning home to find Maevaris Tilani pacing the entry hallway like an enraged tiger, and in such a state of distress that she had neither matched her jewelry nor her shoes to her robes – a crime against high fashion that might otherwise been unimaginable - made Dorian inwardly chuckle. He held it in to the best of his abilities, though, and attempted to compose his features into the sternest mask possible.

'Oh, Dorian, sweetheart!' Mae exclaimed, embracing him tightly, and for once not cupping his behind as she did so. 'I came as soon as I heard…How could this happen!'

'Treacherous elf,' he mumbled, finding that the fact that he was fighting to repress laughter had made his voice sound like he was on the verge of tears. 'She has been working against us all along, Mae…'

'No!' Cassandra exclaimed from behind, darting to her feet with her fists clenched. 'She's being falsely accused!'

The Magister pushed himself away from Mae, and turned his back on all, biting his lips to the blood; a forcibly stifled chuckle sounded like a sigh of deep, terrible pain – Maevaris rushed to embrace him once more, burying her forehead between his shoulders, and he felt the first sting of guilt. It was still not enough to stop him from laughing quietly to himself; the effort made him look as if he were shaking with sobs.

'Dorian,' Leliana too intervened, sounding small and far less in control than her vaunt, 'I understand your sense of betrayal, but you must tell us how much she has shared of our plans, for how long…'

'Oh, please,' Morrigan snarled, coming to his aid just as he could truly hide no longer. 'Pavus is laughing his lower jaw unhinged. Are all of you blind?'

He did laugh out loud, then, despite the fact that Maevaris punched him in the shoulder with strength unbecoming the delicate, sensuous woman she said she'd always felt like, and only a fool's fortune helped him dodge Cassandra's fist, for, as he bent over in open chuckles, her gauntlet whooshed mere inches over his head.

'I'm sorry,' he apologised, belatedly realising that being set upon by a pack of four extremely powerful women was probably not going to add much to his already shortened life expectancy. 'Please don't hit me, Cassandra…'

'It's not that you pretend you are five!' Cassandra shouted, lodging her hand in the chest of his robes and yanking him straight. 'You are five! Speak! Or, by the Maker…'

'She's fine,' Dorian said, taking the first breath that was not cut off by amusement. 'Veldrin is fine. She was falsely accused – Cassandra, please do not hit me; you terrify me enough with that wrinkle inducing scowl that I am ready to admit to anything and then admit to admitting…Let's just move this unhappy crowd to the library, where you can inflict some intimate violence with no eye witnesses, if you will? Ladies?'

'In your presence, Dorian, I am starting to miss Varric,' Divine Victoria growled, letting him go, and thundering up the stairs first. Mae followed, throwing her hair over her shoulder in a dissatisfied huff; Leliana was next, after giving him a glance as sharp as any dagger. Morrigan simply met his glance and shook her head, biting the corner of her lower lip in amusement.

'She is the trickster's bride, isn't she?' the witch asked; for however much he felt the words were intended as weapon, Dorian found it in himself to smile.

'No,' he said, courteously extending his arm to aid Morrigan ascend. 'She's merely trying to be his match.'

Behind the closed doors and warded doors of the library, however, all sense of relaxation vanished.

'I apologise,' Dorian said, this time in earnest. 'I should not have done that.'

'Speak,' Cassandra prompted, still frowning deeply. 'What is this folly, now?'

'Misdirection,' Leliana replied, in Dorian's stead; the man leaned against the bookcase and nodded.

'In a sense, I believe it might have been wise of me not to let the mask slip – not even to you. Cassandra mounting a typically impassioned defense of Vel…hopefully, one that fell short of giving Radonis a black eye – would have been quite the asset.' The man said, slowly. 'I am still glad the news spread so quickly and so credibly that even Mae was worried.'

'You play with my delicate heart, fiends,' the Magistra replied, her eyes still shooting ice bolts. 'Cassius has blockaded the entirety of Minrathous and he is hunting for elves all over the city; I do not even wish to imagine what is happening to them. Of course I was worried.'

Dorian smiled wryly. 'He's also blockaded Quarinus, Perivantium and Vol Dorma,' he nodded, 'but it is not elves he is chasing. He will brutally and publically round up all that remain, of course, and he can be trusted to make the brutality part thoroughly credible, yet it is not what he is truly after.'

He took a deep breath, and looked to Leliana.

'I'm not going to like this,' the Nightingale sourly predicted.

'No,' Dorian replied, not bothering to apologise. 'Vel thought, and after a minute of consideration, I agreed – that extreme manipulation was needed to pull tens of thousands of mortals through the veil. His agents may have been creatures of great spiritual affinity, but those he took were not, so he must have thinned it…And,' he ended, with a shrug, 'we know very well by what means he can do that.'

Leliana breathed out hotly, and shook her head. Maevaris arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

'I don't,' the blonde woman said.

'Ancient magical widgets, what else?' Dorian answered. 'We encountered them all over Thaedas, in the year of the Inquisition; back then, they served us in strengthening the veil against the breach. It was not until much later that we realised they can actually manipulate the barrier both ways.'

'Hm,' Cassandra said. 'You do not think he has brought them here?'

'Either that, or some were already present,' the Magister replied. 'I still think they were planted, however, because the attacks were…'

'Pointed and centered,' Leliana sighed. 'Of course. Major population areas... If the artefacts had been distributed as randomly as they were in Thaedas, the elven disappearances might have occurred in random areas as well.'

'Which would have served this fickle former friend of yours little,' Mae reasoned. 'Had he started with twenty slaves here and ten there, we would have caught this very fast and stopped him before he reached the cities. Like this, the blow has been struck in the most defensible locations first…Piss,' she whispered, letting herself fall into an armchair. 'The man's audacity in mounting something of this scale, with no preparation…'

Dorian shrugged. 'Who knows if he's attempted this before or not? It is not as if five slaves disappearing from a mine along the Hundred Pillars would have caught our attention. If it was even reported, who knows under how many stacks of other seemingly pointless papers that one might be buried under. Eh,' the man sighed, 'so indeed…Cassius has blockaded all affected cities, and is now turning them upside down looking for these orbs, under the guise of wide reprisals against remaining elves – Vel's arrest…'

'Is just the loud front of that, I see. Good thinking,' Cassandra said. 'Maker,' she whispered. 'Do you think we have the most minor chance of recovering any? I mean…'

'The attempt is worthwhile,' Morrigan thoughtfully put in. 'If you started seeking before the Elvhen retreat…'

'Retreat?' Mae sneered.

'Yes, Magistra,' the witch haughtily replied. 'What do you think this is, other than Solas taking as many of the Elvhen out of the way of what he is planning to unleash upon your tranquil world?'

Leliana frowned. 'Not now, Morrigan, if you please…So, Dorian…'

'Yes,' he nodded, 'we started before the abductions,' he hissed, in Morrigan's direction, 'ended. If we are lucky we may find at least one or two, and lock them away before he manages to spread them though the countryside.'

'I certainly hope so,' Maevaris said, softly. 'Minrathous will not crumble if cucumber soup is served warm for a week…the problems will only truly start once there is no coal to make the wrong soup on – if we cannot find these artefacts, the man will bring the Imperium to its knees in a month. Maker, we'll even help him. Every slave owner across the land will coral their elves into pens, like so many cows. He will not even need to spread out his artefacts, he'll just need to…Oh, Maker.'

'Why now?' Leliana asked. 'Why is Solas doing this, now?'

'Maybe the end time has come,' Cassandra said.

Leliana shook her head. 'I find it most suspicious the end time coincided with us telling Veldrin what we planned. This is no chance occurrence – our capture of Fen'Harel relied, in great detail, on his inability to control the veil over Tevinter. That idea is, as of tonight, shattered. He is spiting us, for he has learned of it, somehow, and the most likely source…'

'The most likely source is not Lavellan,' Morrigan said, with more calm than Dorian might have mustered. He sought and found the witch's glance, and she nodded, a gesture too brief to be noticed.

In turn, Maevaris straightened, crossed her legs, and royally placed her arms on the armrests of the chair she was in. The glance she threw Leliana was cold enough to transform the Western Approach into an arctic tundra. 'I barely know you, mademoiselle, but I already think your reputation does you no justice – you are a far more unpleasant person than we were informed you were.'

'You also greatly overestimate the importance of your opinion, Magister Tilani,' Leliana responded, smiling sweetly.

Dorian rolled his eyes in annoyance. 'Yes, yes,' he said. 'That is why I adore circular conversations – they happen so often they cannot be avoided, so one might as well enjoy. No matter what we speak of, we always, as if by magic, return to blame the elf and spot the deviant.'

He shook his head. 'Does it not occur to you, Leliana, that if Solas managed to get people close to you, and orchestrated this calamity, it is entirely likely that he saw Radonis delivering the eluvian you…misplaced?'

Leliana pursed her lips. 'It was a terrible mistake,' she calmly answered, 'and I take full responsibility for it…'

Dorian waved his hand to interrupt her.

'I am not assigning blame here,' he earnestly said. 'You cannot match the Imperium's intelligence infrastructure on our own territory. You are but one foreign woman, and as formidable as you are, I assure you Radonis has five of you in his back pocket…The only mistake you truly made, and are still making, is that in these cloak and dagger games of yours, you keep forgetting that knowing who to be suspicious of is as important as knowing who to trust.'

'He's right, Leliana,' Cassandra said, softly. 'Besides,' she followed, nervously scratching her head, 'you are disregarding…Andraste's mercy, I can't believe I am saying this,' she bitterly chuckled, 'the bloody wide implications this move will have in the material world – forget the fade, and the veil. The Imperial threat has always kept Thaedas' nations in some sort of balance…'

'The Imperium has stood between Thaedas and the Qun,' Maevaris added, with no little pride.

'That too,' the Divine unenthusiastically admitted. 'In crippling the Imperium, Solas will do away with all that; let's assume Orlais will be honourable. Let's assume Radonis will give in to Ferelden's demands and they will hastily sign an official peace agreement as well – it would be folly not to, now. But Nevarra,' she sighed, 'has no incentive to stay put. The Qun even less so.'

'A pack of coyotes will be unleashed 'pon the ailing dragon,' Morrigan said, managing not to sound overly cheerful. 'And once they have ripped at it enough for it to be mortally injured, the lion and the Mabari will see sense in joining the fray, lest the coyotes clear the bones of all meat. The unchanging world will cripple itself long before Fen'Harel moves an inch further; as legends say, 'tis by this sort of ruse that he sealed both the Forgotten Ones and the Evanuris. He faced neither head on, and unlike you, he has endless time to watch your chaos bloom.'

Leliana sighed, and pressed her fingers to her temple. 'All that may be true,' she said, softly. 'Regardless of what is happening, regardless of the timing, this only means Fen'Harel has to be stopped, and our plan is in tatters, while Veldrin has placed herself not only out of his reach, but also out of ours. Thus, tell me, Dorian,' she followed, looking to the man with narrowed eyes, 'when you will visit your pretty spouse in whatever accommodation the Imperium sees fit to give those accused of high treason, will you be giving her a flower basket weaved of immortal wood? A vial of mercury, a shard of glass or some poisons, to end her misery before she's burned alive?'

He threw his head back and laughed. 'I would have thought you'd be grateful for the second eluvian, by now, Leliana. Perhaps you should sing Vel praises for covering your tracks.' Dorian said. 'I fear Vel will have to forego the immense comfort of my presence and just make do with your visits, however,' he added, his chuckles fading to a wry smile, 'as I am suspected of the same crime, and, until my name is cleared or it is decided that I too shall burn, I will be under strict house arrest.'

He waited a second to deliver the last blow.

'In Quarinus,' he ended, dryly.

'What?' Maevaris asked, darting to her feet. 'That is insane!'

'Is it?' Dorian shrugged, still smiling wide. 'Then I am sorry to tell you this, Mae, but you will find the same arrest orders I am under waiting for you at home.'

Maevaris narrowed her eyes, but it was Leliana who spoke – coolly, calmly, in a sweet dulcet tone.

'What are you playing at, Dorian?' she inquired.

'Nothing,' he replied, greatly enjoying the hardness in the Nightingale's eyes, and wishing that Veldrin had been by his side, to share the moment. 'My wife, and Mae's best friend and close political ally is the Imperium's most dangerous criminal. It is virtually impossible that we had no knowledge of her actions, and even if we did not, we have been criminally lax. Still, there is no proof of either until the full truth is extracted from Vel by means of rack and hot poker, and Radonis sees fit not to tear the Magisterium asunder and start a war in Senate until that proof surfaces.'

Mae met his glance, then looked away in anger, and though he did not believe the Chant, Dorian prayed whatever higher power he believed existed that his friend would not make any mistakes now – that she would see the position they were in, and replace her great sincere concern with a lesser one.

'I bet this made Cassius jump for joy,' Maevaris said, dryly.

'Not until we left Radonis' chambers,' Dorian admitted. 'He did do something that might have resembled a jig, had he had a sense of rhythm, when we were in the corridor.'

'No wonder,' the Magistra said, pressing her entwined hands on her stomach, as if in great pain. 'This sets the Lucerni back ten years…Whose idea was this?' Mae asked, in a hot breath. 'Radonis'? Cassius'?'

'Mine,' Dorian simply answered, sustaining her gaze, despite the fact that the storm of pain within it caused him great sorrow, in turn. 'I am sorry, Mae,' he whispered.

The blonde bit her lower lip, and shook her head. 'I am sorry too, Dorian, but I am going to fight this tooth and nail…'

'Do so,' he nodded. 'Unlike the armed detail who is waiting for me outside and whose patience I am beginning to try, you have two days before you will be forcibly removed to Quarinus as well. If you choose to fight the arrest order in Senate, do so. In fact,' he attentively said, 'really fight it, in Senate. It will not be rescinded, but the distraction...'

We need you, Mae, he thought. I agreed with you before, on the danger, on the madness, but tonight has shown me Vel is right - we need you.

'What are we to do then?' Cassandra snarled. 'I am not gifted for theater and foolish games such as these, nor can I sit idle...'

'I won't suggest we do nothing, your worship,' Leliana said, with calm that sent chills down Dorian's spine. 'We shall passionately defend our friend, and see to the completion of the accords, which are now truly becoming crucial. I trust Dorian has no qualms with letting us use his mansion as we so do?'

'None at all,' Dorian shrugged, feeling more tense by the minute. 'Just be wary of my mother, she tends to get stabby after a certain point in the night. And, with that…' he said, straightening, 'I should really go about the business of getting arrested while fully sober. Never liked that part of the plan,' he sighed.

He turned to leave and took a deep breath; Morrigan's chuckles turned his exhalation into ice.

'On such a sour note old friends part,' the witch melodiously said. 'A wind of cheer I feel I must entice…'

'Morrigan,' Dorian said, meeting her glance and swallowing dry – if she spoke now, he thought, they were undone. With Mae, he'd have time to clarify, yet with the witch…

'It is but a good thought, Pavus,' Morrigan followed, odd warmth in her eyes. 'A man with endless time would not hurry to act, and on such a grand stage. If Fen'Harel is moving, he must feel threat; whatever means he's used to learn of your plans, he thinks that they might work.'

'Maker willing,' Cassandra sadly spoke; her eyes went as wide as Dorian's as Mae advanced, and kissed him fully on the lips, putting her arms about his shoulders and squeezing him tightly.

'I'll see you on the way to Seheron1,' Mae whispered in his ear. 'Expect pain.'

Never had a threat sounded so sweet, and Dorian had to seriously fight the urge of kissing her back.

1 That's where Aurelian Titus' old playground is. We shall be seeing Seheron, whether we like to or not.

We promised we would return, and so we have - thank you all for reading, fave-ing, though it's comments we do adore. We do, we do ^^

Up Next - Vel makes the best out of being falsely accused.