Chapter Nine: Showing Off
"Firefly?" Varric says, shaking me awake.
"Hnnggwhat?" I mumble in my sleepy state.
"If you want any breakfast before we leave, you'll need to get up."
"Okay," I say and rub my eyes.
"I'll meet you there, then," he adds, before opening the door and leaving.
Guess he wants to give me some privacy to get ready. I look over and see that his things are already gone from the room, which tells me he's obviously been up for a while. I get out of bed and straighten the clothes I'm still wearing from yesterday. No sense in changing if we're just going back on the road today. I re-braid my hair and grab my things before heading out, giving one long last look at the comfortable bed.
The keep is awake and bustling this morning. I descend the stairs and find the main hall, where breakfast is already underway. Looks like I'm the last one up. Grateful Varric let me sleep in a little, I follow the delicious scent of food. I grab a plate with a couple of sausages and toast. It's not the most visually appealing meal I've ever eaten, but it smells amazing. I take an available seat with the others, between Declan and Bull.
"Morning," I greet them cheerfully.
"Yeah, you still have a little of that left," Bull jokes. "We were worried we'd have to drag the bed with us on the road today if you didn't get up."
"Oh stars, that sounds so much better than walking or riding! Can we still go with that plan?" I ask.
"Nope, princess. Too late."
"So we're going after the dragon first, right?" I clarify with Declan.
"Yes, we'd like to eliminate it as a threat as soon as possible," he confirms. "It would probably make traveling difficult anyway, so it's best to see to it now."
"That sounds great. So here's the strategy: you all hang back, and let me go in alone to try talking with it. Don't attack."
"I'll give you a chance," Declan says, "but we're not leaving here while that thing is still a danger to the locals. If you fail, we kill it."
"I won't fail, but okay, Inquisitor." I grin.
We walk outside after breakfast, and I say my goodbyes with Maeven. "You're absolutely sure about this, Ferox? You don't have to do this."
"Apparently I do. They're not going to believe me until they see it. I've got this, Maeven, promise."
"I'll pray for you," she tells me. Her faith is reassuring, even if it's a bit misplaced.
"Thanks."
We mount up and ride hard to the south on the main road. After a short distance, Declan signals us to slow and stop, and I wonder why, but then I notice the green sparks emanating through his glove. He points into the distance and I see a swirling glow of magic in a similar green color. Ah, a Fade rift. I've seen these through the Well, but it's the first time I'm getting a look at one up close. Yet again, I wish I had Etiam's spirit knowledge. Where there are rifts, there are demons, and he would have been helpful here.
We leave the horses, as they'd only spook in battle. Glancing around, I notice that we're near a farmhouse. It appears in good repair, and I give a silent hope that the occupants, if they're still inside, are okay. Brandishing my staff, I follow the others into range of the rift. Once we are close, it expands, green beams of light streaming outward, creating shimmering bursts where they strike the ground. Immediately, I cast barrier on the five of us, and Garrett gives me a smirk of approval.
"Beat me to it," he says.
"Keep mine going when it fades then. Focus, Hawke," I reply, deliberately not calling him by his first name in effort to help him pay attention.
The bubbling pools of energy on the ground radiate outward with an explosive pulse, and out of each, a demon emerges. I recognize the type of the one nearest me. Despair demon, cold, and small. I know what to do with those . I charge up my fireball spell, feeling the all-too familiar energy rising up within me, magical wind from an unseen source stirring the tickling tendrils of hair around my face.
I thrust my staff forwards, and a column of flame erupts from the crystal at the tip. It engulfs the despair demon, and it screeches with a high-pitched resonance as it writhes in pain. I keep the column burning for a bit, until I'm sure I've depleted its energy. It dissipates, the material that made up its physical form being sucked back into the rift. Good, spirit, return to the Fade, to your previous form. I'm sorry this thing pulled you here against your will. Be at peace.
A barrier surrounds me this time, and I grin at Hawke, who doesn't spare me much of a glance. He's fighting a terror demon. It's all spindly legs and gangly movement, but I see it hop into a glowing pool under its feet and I realize its strategy.
"Hawke, move!" I yell and ready my spell.
"I know, Andraste's knickers, woman, you think I haven't fought demons before?" he shouts back, backpedaling away from the area. As if on cue, the terror demon pops back up through a similar portal and engages Garrett again. Guess he can handle it.
I spare a second to look around me, but there are no demons nearby. I spot Declan near the rift. Green energy bolts out of his hand and connects with the glow of the rift. The rift itself seems to have solidified into a strange crystal formation, but as I watch, Declan's actions seem to be weakening it and it flies back open.
On the other side, I see Varric and Bull taking on another terror demon. It jumps up immediately in front of Varric and I feel a moment of panic, but he fires a bolt from Bianca and leaps backwards in a graceful arc. I knew he wasn't 'too old for this stuff', look at him move! Bull takes advantage of the creature's moment of distraction to slam into it with a giant double-bladed greataxe. Perfect teamwork.
The demons all disposed of for the moment, the Fade rift gives a ripple. I pause, expecting more demons to appear, but Declan walks closer, the beam of energy again emitting from his outstretched palm. He makes a swiping motion and closes his fist, as if tugging on some great thread, and the rift closes. He beams in triumph.
"Everyone okay?" I ask after the debris settles.
"Wow, I really wasn't expecting that from you. You're quite the little mother hen, aren't you?" Hawke says, coming over to ruffle my hair.
"Hey!" I protest knocking his hand away. "I've just never fought with you guys before."
"I think it's cute that you worry," Declan adds. "But this wasn't our first bout with demons, and I doubt it will be our last. This was an easy one, too."
"What was that about needing to trust more, Firefly?" Varric adds.
Bull stretches. "Nothing like a good fight with demons after breakfast to set the day off right."
I laugh. This bunch, seriously . "Yeah, yeah, I got it. You're all badasses and can do this with your eyes closed." I roll my eyes.
We collect the remnants left behind of the demons' physical forms, and return to our mounts. I see a farmer peek out of the nearby house and smile to myself. The Inquisition does seem to be doing some good, after all. I think back on Tenebris's statements as we ride. I knew he was going to be angry, but I didn't expect him to want to come here. It's unlike him to want to directly interact with the world, preferring more subtle moves. What's his agenda?
The ride takes a couple more hours and it's close to midday when we reach the southern region known as the Black Fens. I rein in Darkforge and assess the terrain ahead. We've been heading downhill for some time, and I know this area borders on the edge of the giant lake. With the lake drained, the waters should have receded from this area already, but the higher elevation means more rocky cliff faces than sandy shores.
A roar erupts from nearby. Dragon! I hop off my mount and head to the nearest high point, a boulder, to get a better view. I scramble up the side of the rock and peer into the distance. There she is, perching among the ruins of an old keep.
"Seems we found our dragon," Declan comments, climbing up to join me.
"She's beautiful," I breathe. "That's a Northern Hunter, lightning type. Her movements are strange, though."
"What do you mean?" Bull asks as he comes to look with us.
"Do you see how she's not really flying? More...hopping and gliding? That may be a high dragon, but just barely. I'd put her just past the mature stage in aging." I sigh. "This is going to be a bit more difficult than I thought."
"How so?" Varric asks from down below.
"If she's just achieved high status, she's not going to understand the language as well. Think of it like trying to talk to a child...or a teenager, for that matter. They tend to struggle with concentration and not want to listen. And if you use words they don't understand, they lose interest completely."
"It's not too late to change your mind," Garrett offers. "We can still do this the other way."
"No, I've got it, it's just going to be tricky."
The dragon is massive. Her scales are a dark reddish-brown in color, with bright white stripes on her tail. Her legs are as wide as probably two of me, at least, if not three. Her horns curl around her face from the back of her head, and jut forward to the sides of her powerful jaws like some kind of massive tusks. Ribbons of violet magical light filter out through her neck and face, showing the lightning storm brewing inside. Her eyes are deep set, nearly hidden in the protrusions of bone and horn.
I walk forward, still out of range, descending the slope confidently, watching her movements. She hops here and there, landing atop one of the towers of the abandoned keep, the movement sending crumbling stone scattering to the ground below. She bellows, an ear-splitting screech that's music to my ears.
It's time.
I hold my staff horizontally in front of me and start the incantation. I slowly twirl the staff, connecting the static force underneath the ground into a tangible circle of magic beneath me. I pull down the electric charge from the sky and connect the two into a long thin ribbon of energy. I spin in a circle, pulling the ribbon around me like a curtain, continuing the twirls and dips of my staff. Finally, I slam the end down in the ground, causing a cascade of sparks to erupt from it, shooting upward as the cylinder shape jets toward the heavens. The dragon takes notice, and turns her head, curious as to this new phenomenon. I let go of the staff and gather the edges of the curtain around me, closing the gap. I pick up my staff again. I'm ready.
The cylindrical curtain follows me as I move. "Hello pretty girl," I say in Draconic. "You look like you're having fun. May I speak with you?"
The dragon shakes its head, confused, but doesn't move from her perch atop the tower. She stares at me.
"This will be easier if you come down," I suggest.
The dragon unleashes a blast of lightning, but not in my direction, only as a threat. I don't move. She spreads her wings, and glides from the top of the tower, circling me for a moment before setting down with a crash of her massive feet. Her talons dig deep in the earth and her tail twitches in irritation.
"I know girl, I'm the same. Always a storm brewing inside." I meet her eyes, and allow the magic to flow from me to her. "See my magic? We're kindred souls."
The dragon calms, interested in me now. Her tail stops flicking violently, and becomes a much slower movement.
"Good, calm, dearest. I mean you no harm, but I do come on behalf of the humans here," I say.
Twitch, flick.
"Now, they're not so bad, they just don't understand creatures such as you or I. It's hard when you have the storm raging. But they are fragile, and fragile beings give in to fear. If you stay, they will eventually come to hurt you. It might be best if you find another place to play."
Her head turns again…and she finally speaks, her voice echoing in my head, "Where...where can I play?"
"You don't know other spaces? Tall mountains maybe, or caverns with no humans?"
"No."
"Would you like to journey with me, then? We can stay together until we find such a place."
"And the people will be less afraid? Not hurt me?"
"Yes, dearest. I won't let them hurt you. I'll make them all see how beautiful and special we both are. Just follow slowly. We don't want to startle them."
I walk calmly up the slope again, letting the curtain fall, the glittering sparks of light fading away, and drifting off into the breeze.
The expressions on everyone's faces is priceless when they see me leading the dragon up to the hillside. Everyone is speechless, jaws hanging open. Well, except Declan. He's grinning ear to ear.
"That was hands down, the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" he raves.
"Calm down, Declan, don't spook her. She's new at this."
I turn back to the dragon, and continue speaking to her in Draconic. "My name is Ferox. What do you call yourself?"
She looks confused again. "I...don't know…"
"You've only just become a high dragon. The speech gets easier with time. Perhaps you would like some suggestions?"
"Yes, I think I would."
"Um, guys," I say, turning to the rest of the group. "She doesn't have a name, and wants suggestions. Any ideas?"
"How about Miracle?" Varric offers in a low whisper.
I convey this to her, and explain what it means. She likes the idea. "Miracle it is," I announce. "She needs a new place to roost. Somewhere away from humans, of course."
"There's a mountain range near here. Inhospitable to humans, but plenty of rams up that way. It should serve nicely," Declan recommends.
I report it back to Miracle. She licks her lips. "I like ram," she says.
"Sounds like it'll do. Directions?" After playing intermediary between them, Miracle believes she has enough information to find the place, and to avoid any known settlements on the way.
"Good luck, Miracle," I wish her.
"You're not coming?" she asks.
"I'm still needed here. But I'll try to visit someday, okay?"
"Okay. I'll try to not eat all the rams."
"That's a lovely thought, thank you."
She steps up, flaps her wings experimentally, and takes a long leap. I shake my head. Still not flying, but she's getting better. Once she's out of sight, I turn back to the group again. "Now, about Hawke's Warden friend…"
"Oh no you don't. I want to hear how you did that," Garrett responds.
"Yeah, that was badass! I've got to learn that one," Bull adds.
"Nope, trade secrets. Besides, you have to be a mage, Bull. Unless you're hiding something major, I doubt it would work for you."
He looks disappointed. "Well, can we go find some more demons? I need to hit something."
"I think we can manage that," Declan declares.