Chapter Thirty-Five: Stirring Things Up

We mount up and begin the descent down the mountain. The weather, like my mood, is sunny and we make good time despite bringing the wagons with us. Not long after we leave, however, I see Leliana watching us.

"Don't look now," I say to Varric, "but the spymaster is watching."

As if on cue, she pulls alongside us. "Varric, may I have a moment?"

He looks to me for confirmation, and I wave him on with a grin. "Go on, if Hawke's curiosity is bad, hers has to be practically killing her by now."

They ride ahead and Cullen falls back next to me. "Hello Cullen," I greet him, keeping the smile on my face.

"You do enjoy provoking Leliana, don't you?" he asks.

I wince at his observation. "Is it bad that I kind of enjoy seeing her at a loss?" I chuckle.

"Perhaps it would help if you shared more about your background. You're quite the enigma."

"Then can I share something with you?"

He nods.

"I honestly thought this was just going to be temporary. I came to stop the Inquisition from hunting dragons, to make them understand the importance of preserving magic...and then I was going to leave. I never expected to be here this long, or to want to stay."

He glances up to where Varric and Leliana are riding close together, conversing just as we are. "I suppose we have Varric to thank for your change of heart?" he questions.

"In part," I admit, a little embarrassed. "But I've also come to see that the Inquisition is facing a bigger threat than I thought before. My family removed themselves from most of the world for a long time, staying isolated. But after coming here and seeing what I've seen, I can't just go back to the way things were and pretend I don't know what's happening."

Cullen smiles. "Will you tell me more? About you and your family?"

I sigh. "Everyone is always so curious, but they never really want the answers once they've heard them. I tried talking to Varric and Hawke about this, but I doubt even they truly believe my story."

He frowned. "What do you mean, they don't believe you?"

I shrug. "I think they're still having trouble grasping just how different I really am. You used to be a templar, right?"

Another nod, his expression still looking worried.

"You grew up around the Chantry, then, and the Circles."

The frown deepens.

"There are a lot of forms of magic other than those that are taught in the Circles. Magic can do things that would surprise even the most experienced Circle mage."

A grunt. "I...have seen things. Dark things, involving...blood magic, and demons."

I looked at him. That last statement hadn't been easy for him to get out. "Oh, Cullen, I didn't know. I'm truly sorry for what you must have been through. Yes, there are those kinds of magic, but there's more than that, too. Not all unusual magic is evil, Cullen. Despite what the Chantry tries to tell everyone, magic is a gift."

"Kirkwall changed a lot for me, made me see that the things I'd never questioned might need to be questioned. And then Declan goes and recruits the mage rebellion instead of the templars, challenging the way things have always been here. I...I now think things might not be so simple as the Chantry makes it out."

"Blasphemy, young templar!" I laugh.

"Former templar. But I've interrupted. You were talking about how this relates to your family and what Hawke and Varric didn't believe."

"Are you sure you want to hear this? You'll probably see me differently afterwards."

He thinks for a while. "Are you a blood mage?" he asks bluntly.

"Nothing if not direct, are you Commander?" I ask with a sigh of frustration. "To answer that question, I do understand the basics of blood magic, but no, I personally don't practice it. Not because of any moral objection, but because I don't need to. My own mana stores are deeper than normal mages. I don't usually need lyrium, nor do I need my own blood or that of others to accomplish what I want."

"How is that possible?"

"I need to hear you say you want this answer, Cullen."

"Tell me."

"I assume you're familiar with Dorian's translations of the story of Ferox from ancient Tevinter?"

"I've been informed of his research, of course, but what does that have to do with this?"

"Because it's not just a story. I am Ferox the Destroyer, and I've been alive a very long time. The people of ancient Tevinter were the ones who first called me a goddess."

He shakes his head, but doesn't say anything.

"Everything I said to Leliana about my background is true. I was born on the Storm Coast, and I traveled a lot with my family, mostly in Tevinter. Of course, the Tevinter Imperium covered a lot more area back then. The reason Leliana couldn't find what she was looking for is because she falsely assumed I was born recently. She was looking in the wrong time, not the wrong place."

He remains l quiet as he thinks it over. "We live in the era when the ancient magisters surface once more; I suppose anything is possible. But how am I supposed to know if what you say is true?"

"You don't have to believe in my power to believe in me as a friend, Cullen. Think me mad if it helps you. But I've decided to stay and help."

"Having a god on our side would definitely give me a lot more hope about our chances against Corypheus."

I look at him. "You're actually considering this...thank you." I smile widely. "I didn't expect you would believe any of what I said. You surprise me, Cullen."

"Not that long ago, I would have hated you just for being a mage. Your abilities...I would have called you a maleficar," he admits, shame coloring his features. "But time changes us all, I suppose."

I notice Cassandra looking in our direction. "I think the Seeker is wondering what we're talking about," I inform him.

"Same with Pavus," Cullen says, his eyes flicking behind us, and I can't help but turn and look. Dorian meets my gaze, and a look of confusion crosses his features.

"You weren't supposed to look!" Cullen complains in a groaned whisper, and I erupt in laughter.

"I say we let them stew in it a while longer," I suggest.

"First Leliana, now them," he clucks. "Cruel to the last." His smirk belies his statement, lacking any real reproach.

I shrug. "Will you tell the spymaster about me?"

The corners of his lips turn back downward. "I don't like the idea of hiding anything from the other advisors. I'll have to tell her something, but I don't see her accepting your story."

"That is your decision. I will not force you to keep my secrets. But you're right, Leliana is not the type to believe things so easily. Not anymore, anyway."

We ride together, pointedly ignoring the curious stares of the others until we stop for lunch a short while later.

Cullen walks over to speak with Seeker Cassandra for a while, and Leliana steals his attention not long after. She's probably grilling him about our conversation. I shake my head, happy to be back next to Varric.

I smile at him, but don't ask any questions of him. If he told Leliana I won't be angry with him. I've decided to stay, perhaps it's better that they all know who I am anyway.

Dorian walks over to join us. "Tevinter!" I call out. "Oh wait, I've got my boots on today. Let me do this right…oh no!" I throw my hands over my face in a dramatic pose.

He grins, and leans over to pull my braid. I swat his hands away, but don't bother moving away from him.

"Since when have you been on such good terms with the Commander?" he asks.

"We became friends while you were off in the Hissing Wastes," I tell him. "He was teaching me to play chess again. I haven't played in...stars, in centuries." I exaggerate the last statement, and get the chuckle I was hoping for from Dorian. Varric is still silent. What had happened with the spymaster? I cock my head and give him a questioning look, but he doesn't respond.

We sit for a few minutes, eating a quick lunch of water and dried meats before mounting back up and continuing on. I ride next to Varric, feeling the silence growing like a wall between us.

It was good to get to talk to Dorian, even for a minute. I'm glad that we'll be traveling together for a while. He's been an interesting friend, but so far, we've seemed to always be going in opposite directions.

I look ahead and see him conversing with Tenebris. No, scratch that, flirting with Tenebris. I watch my brother's posture and expressions to get a sense of whether he's receptive or not, but he's remaining quite controlled. I'll have to ask him later.

At dusk, we finally stop again and make camp for the night. I see Declan talking with Frederic, and head over to where they are standing.

"I'm happy to catch both of you together. I have a few questions."

"Of course, I always welcome an academic discussion with another dragon expert," Frederic states, nodding in my direction.

Declan just smiles, and waits for me to speak.

"I was hoping to ask you about varghests. I'm afraid my own knowledge is a bit limited where they are concerned, and I don't want to be caught off guard like I was with the snowy wyvern."

"Sorry, I heard about that, and I meant to ask you about it," Declan states. "Are you alright?"

"I have a new scar, but otherwise I'm fine," I assure him.

"Varghests, yes, I have written about them. They are large beasts, not nearly as large as dragons, though they are in the same family. They have large scales that are quite tough. Good material for armor, I understand, but it makes their hide nearly impenetrable."

"Any weird variations, like the snowy wyvern was?"

"Not to my knowledge, no, although they do vary in size."

"I know they carry off their victims to eat later," I mention, remembering what Scout Harding had told me.

"They do, indeed! There's a local legend about it, if you would like to hear it."

"I love stories," I comment, nodding my agreement.

"I'll admit to being curious, myself," Declan admits.

"The legend says that varghests were servants of the gods. That they would stalk those who had wronged their kind and carry the perpetrators to meet their makers. They were thought to be spirits, and feared; but as we know, we've later discovered they are simply creatures with interesting hunting habits."

Varghests as servants of gods? Which ones? We never used varghests, and neither did the Evanuris.

"Are we telling god stories again?" Dorian asks, joining us. My brother is with him. "I have one, if that's the case."

Delcan nods. "I'll bet everyone will probably want to hear this. Why don't we gather around the fire?"

"I shall spread the word, then," Dorian says with a flourished bow, and he goes back to the others, leaving my brother standing next to me. Tenebris and Dorian are still around each other? Interesting. I give him a questioning look, but he shrugs almost imperceptibly. I spare a moment to wonder where Hawke has gone, then realize he's probably with Varric. I sigh. I need to talk to Varric, sort out what's going on with him, but if anyone can talk some sense into him, it's Hawke.

"You said you had questions for both of us, Ferox," Declan asserts. "What did you want to ask me?"

"I was hoping to hear more about Corypheus's dragon. I know it's probably not something you want to think about, but you had the closest contact with it. Maybe some of the details will help Tenebris and I figure out how to stop it." I look to my brother again, who nods.

He looks away, frowning. "Alright. If you think it will help," he states. "Frederic, you can stay for this too. I don't know if there's anything in your dragon knowledge that can help, but maybe with the three of you together, you can figure something out."

He stares at a fixed point on the ground as he begins to speak. "I stayed behind in Haven to stall Corypheus, to try to give the others time to get to safety in the mountain pass," he says. "I had a little luck using the trebuchets but then his dragon was spotted in the sky. It sent fireballs crashing down, setting the place ablaze. Corypheus walked through the fires, seemingly unhurt."

"The dragon, what did it look like?" I ask.

"It was...dark, the very skin grayed and marked with holes."

Tenebris speaks up. "That still matches a dragon affected by the Blight."

"Yes," Frederic agrees. "Dragons, especially the older ones are known to have a natural resistance to the Blight. The holes you see are their own flesh forming cysts around the corruption and rejecting it."

Declan continues, "It had protrusions of what looked like bone jutting from its neck, and its head was...I don't know how to describe it. It was as though the skin was too tight, clinging to its skull, and not being successful at covering it all. It's wings were tattered, but still managed to keep it in the sky. It followed every command that Corypheus gave."

I think about it for a while longer. "We know the Blight is connected somehow," I say. "But that was never an ancient dragon. Ancients, corrupted or not, don't bow to magisters." They bow to us, or, once they are lost to the Blight, no one at all.

"It has to be red lyrium," Tenebris concludes. "Corypheus must have used it to speed the corruption. It's the only thing that tracks."

The horror that dragon must have been through. I understand, more so than probably anyone in existence, given what I went through with the ritual so long ago. I put a hand to my chest, remembering. It's still worth it, though, even though my fire magic was affected. I would do it over again, if I had to.

"Red lyrium and the Blight...that sounds like the stuff of nightmares," Declan comments, interrupting my reverie.

"You're not wrong," I admit. "And if it's infected with red lyrium...our known methods will not have an effect quickly enough. If it was just Blighted, we might have been able to help cleanse it, weaken it. But the red stuff is just so different."

"Leliana says Celine has an arcane advisor that might know more about all this. Perhaps we can speak with her at the ball, and convince her to help us," Declan suggests.

"Arcane advisor, huh?" I ask, suddenly hopeful. "A magic expert? Ten crowns says Tenebris and I are better."

Declan laughs. "I'm still not betting against you, Ferox, but I hope for our sake that this person, whoever they are, knows something that can help us."

I nod, seeing the wisdom in what he's saying. "I'm okay being wrong every now and then."

"Since when?" Tenebris asks, and the two of them enjoy a laugh at my expense.

I merely shake my head. "Dorian's probably gathered everyone by now, we should go join them and hear what he has to say."