Chapter Fifty-Seven: Reporting In

The world shifts and we're standing just outside the Herald's Rest, which results in us knocking over Scout Harding. We all collapse in a messy pile.

"Your aim is shite, Ferox. 'Bout squashed Harding," Sera groans, untangling herself from our mess of limbs and standing up. "Well, home's home, anyway." She enters the Herald's Rest without a glance backwards.

I offer my hand to Scout Harding. "Sorry about that. I got in a bit of a hurry and didn't specify exactly where I wanted to be standing."

"Uh huh," she replies skeptically. "So how's that thing work, anyway?" she asks, eyeing the ring on my finger.

"Very powerful, very complicated magic. Takes a group of mages who know what they're doing to create one," I answer, hoping that gets her off topic.

"But anyone can use one, right?" she asks.

I pull it back, feeling a bit defensive. "Don't get any ideas, these things are hard to make."

"Still, must be nice to travel wherever you want to in an instant. Sure would make my job a lot easier," she states, drawing out her words.

"We don't have time to make you one, and no, you can't borrow it."

"Play nice, Sister," Lucis says from behind me. "You can say it more politely than that, at least."

"Sorry, Harding. I had a hard day on the Storm Coast," I admit, cheeks flushing a bit at my outburst.

"Yes," Alistair says, leaning in to whisper. "She got so mean, she scared a dragon. I think she got stuck that way."

"Alistair!" I protest, but then shrug, realizing he's probably right. I don't need to intimidate anyone here. Things might not have gone the way we planned, but still, mission accomplished. I smile instead. "I don't know about you, but I think I could stand a drink after that," I comment.

"I thought you wanted to report in?" Lucis asks. "Don't you think you should do that before you start drinking?"

I stick my tongue out at him. "Spoilsport. Yeah, yeah, let's go see Cullen and the other advisors. I'm sure they'll hear about us popping in soon enough, anyway."

I wave goodbye to Harding. "See you later," I tell her.

She nods. "I'll let you buy me a drink later, to make up for landing on me."

"Done," I agree.

I know the way to Cullen's office quite well by now, and lead the way. Solas isn't in his chamber, presumably still out with Etiam. I hope they're doing okay. I should check in on him later. I take the walkway from the keep over to the tower were Cullen works.

I open the door, and Cullen looks up from the documents in his hand. "Ferox," he says, a smile breaking on his face. "You're back early; we weren't expecting you for a week or so yet."

"I trust all went well on the Storm Coast?" Leliana asked.

"It got a bit more complicated," I admit. "The red templars were capturing the dragonlings, experimenting on them with red lyrium like they did with the giants in Emprise du Lion. Nimbus was furious as a result, so we had to use transportation magic to get to her directly, bypassing the boats."

"Nimbus? You learned her name, then. I assume that means you accomplished your mission?" Cullen asks.

"As if there was any doubt."

Alistair grumbles, "I had a few."

Lucis gives him a look. "We've all returned relatively unharmed. I'd call that a success."

I nod, agreeing with Lucis. "Oh, because we used magic to come back here directly, I didn't get a chance to check back with Charm. Send her our regards, would you?"

"We will." Josephine comments with a nod. "I am glad you were successful."

"Yes, Nimbus has agreed to call her dragonlings to the far side of the island if anyone with an Inquisition flag shows up on her shores."

"Now that we know what the red templars were up to, I don't know that it will be necessary to return," Cullen comments. "But thank you for your quick work. We will return to planning for Adamant. The trebuchets should be here in a couple of days."

"Any word from the Inquisitor's team?" Leliana asks.

I shake my head. "I haven't been able to get through. I'll try again tonight."

Cullen made a note of something on a piece of parchment in front of him. "Alright, you're dismissed. Enjoy a little time off; I'll let you know if we need you again."

The three of us walk back the same pathway together, entering the main tower.

Lucis says, "I should get back to the infirmary before someone else loses a limb unnecessarily."

"See you," I tell him with a wave. Alistair and I head up the stairs, and he seems surprised that we're going the same direction.

"Where are you going?" he asks, pausing.

"I was planning to go see if Dorian was in the library," I inform him. "And you?"

"To visit Leliana." We both give a chuckle and walk up to the second story together. I wave as he continues on, and I spot Dorian lounging in the chair as usual.

"Tevinter!" I call out, startling him from whatever he's reading, and he quickly puts it down. Not quick enough, however, and I catch the title: Hard in Hightown. "Finally reading Varric's book, huh? No ancestry anthologies this time?"

"Ferox," he says with a warm smile, standing up to greet me. "I'd say Tevinter fits us both, wouldn't you? But yes, I do have other interests, you realize."

"So I hear," I say with a grin, leaving the implication hanging there.

Dorian's lips twitch, threatening a smile, and his eyes flick nervously to the side. "He told you?" A frown started.

"Well, in his defense, I was pretty nosy about it. Don't worry, I approve," I say grinning. "Tenebris probably won't want me getting into his business, but stars, Dorian, you're practically family." I hug him, giving him an encouraging squeeze, and Dorian lets out an exhalation.

His arms wrap around me tentatively before stepping back. "Family…" he mutters, as though testing out the word. "If only my own had been like you. I guess in a way, you've always been the little sister I never wanted," he comments, and we both chuckle. "But thank you, Ferox. It means a lot to me that you support us."

"Just be good to my brother. Humans haven't always been kind to him," I say.

"So I gathered. You know, I'm relieved to find you're not quite like the artifacts depicted," he jokes, but my expression remains neutral.

"Oh, we are, make no mistake. You're just on our good side." I can't help but snicker. "Get your boots ready, Tevinter," I tease with a wink.

He looks down at his boots, covered in multiple straps and buckles, and shrugs. A smile, genuine this time, spread across his face. "Guess I'm just not much of a quaker."

"We'll see," I respond enigmatically.

"What about you and Tethras?" he asks. "You two seemed pretty cozy in Emprise du Lion."

"We're good," I tell him, smiling. "I miss him, of course, but he'll be back soon."

"Just so," Dorian acknowledged. "Though I suppose this assault Cullen is drawing up will provide a little excitement for all of us."

I beam. "I'm really looking forward to cutting loose. Now that everyone knows about us, I don't have to hold back on my magic anymore."

"Maybe I'll get to see you in action this time then, for a true demonstration."

"Maybe," I smile. "I should get going, I promised to meet Harding at the Herald's Rest in a bit, and I'd like to freshen up first."

"See you later," he says, and moves back to the chair.

I head to my room that I share with Varric, and I realize how much I miss him. His scent clings to the interior of the room. I sit in the oversized chair and revel in it. Varric. The idea planted, I want to see him. I pull the pendant over my head. I'd tried it several times over the last few days, but there has been no response.

I open it and connect the magic. "Tenebris, please answer," I call, hoping my brother has returned from underground. They should have been out of there by now. I wait, and try again. "Tenebris, are you there?"

His image appears and my heart surges. I've missed my brother's long, wavy dark hair, so similar to my own, and his small beard. "Ferox! Stars, is it good to see your face. Wait, are you back at Skyhold already?"

I sigh. "Yeah, we ran into some minor complications with the Vinsomer, and had to use the rings to come back. But you should have seen her, she was beautiful! Her name is Nimbus."

Declan's voice sounds from out of view. "Ferox just contacted you and she's already talking about dragons." His face pops up in the magical energy. I'm surprised to see his face sporting a cut above his eye. It doesn't detract from his handsomeness, however, and I take in his familiar genuine smile. His auburn hair has grown a bit longer, and it looks like he's in need of a haircut. "Hey Dragon Girl," he greets me, grinning, "looks like you're doing well?"

I nod. "Yes, the four of us completed the mission and are back in Skyhold, although we had to fight this giant red lyrium crystal beast in that stronghold of theirs. It was pretty nasty. How did things go in the Deep Roads?"

I hear Cassandra's disgusted grunt, and know she is there with them. That's enough of a response to alert me.

"What did Bianca do?" I ask, immediately concerned.

The voice I had most hoped to hear sounds next. "Firefly, you're better off not knowing."

"Declan, show me Varric, I want to see him."

There's movement on the other end and then I'm looking at my love. His face shows a few bruises and scrapes. I hate seeing him hurt. "You're injured, why didn't Tenebris heal you?" I ask.

There's a pause. "I did," my brother answers. "Well, a little, anyway."

"This is what you look like after healing?"

Varric grunted. "We're good, just a little beat-up. We ran into darkspawn, and the Carta had taken up residence - the whole thing was a shitstorm."

"What did that bitch do, Varric? Don't make me use my last two charges hunting her ass down."

Blackwall snorts in the background, and I'm grateful for his backup.

"She was the leak. Said she did it to help Bartrand and me."

"Not even close to a good enough excuse. She put you in danger and got you hurt, all for her own selfish agenda. She'd better be dead and in a million little dwarf pieces," I tell him, anger rising in my voice.

"Firefly…"

"Don't Firefly me. I told her to keep you safe. This," I say, gesturing toward his bruised face, "is the opposite. I'm gonna freeze her and-"

"Let it go, Ferox, it's alright. That's just Bianca for you," Varric says, and sighs. "I'm kind of use to her shit by now."

I glare at him, but realize it won't do any good. Bianca is his friend, for better or for worse, and I didn't want to spend what time we have angry at each other. Bianca is the one to blame, not my favorite dwarf. "Alright, Love."

"Seriously?" Tenebris exclaims, causing Varric to look up over the field of energy. My brother continues, "Your vengeance is legendary. You're just going to let her get away with it?"

"I just don't want my anger to be targeted at the wrong person. Varric's not the one I'm cross with."

Varric looks back at me, smiling a half-smile and it ignites something within me. I love him so much. I'm glad he's alright. That bitch Bianca, however, had better know what's good for her and not show her face in front of me ever again.

"Oh, I do need to talk to Tenebris for a moment, though. If you don't mind?"

Varric nods. "It's just good to see you again."

"I know, I can't wait to be back together."

"Aww," Declan says from off to the side, and I laugh.

The motion blurs again, and I see my brother. "Tenebris, can you step away from the others for a minute? I want to talk about something private."

He nods. "Inquisitor?" he asks, looking over the top of the pendant, and then returns his gaze to me. "Give me a moment." I can tell Tenebris is walking from the motion of the green forested background of the Hinterlands, and after a moment, I can no longer hear the voices of the others.

"What is it, Sister?"

"I just talked to Dorian," I tell him, smiling.

"Please tell me you're not pestering the man, Ferox."

"I wasn't. But...he looks happy." Tenebris's embarrassed smile lets me know it was worth it.

"So how much longer until you're back?" I ask.

"Less than a week, but it depends on the weather. It's been rainy here, and the roads are all rutted and muddy. It's made travel rather slow."

"Okay. Ask Declan if he has any news he wants me to pass on to the advisors."

He nods, returns to the Inquisitor, asking him my question. Declan looks into the magic fields again. "Just let them know that we're alright," Declan asserts. "We believe we've stopped at least one source of the lyrium, but the stuff is growing everywhere so I don't know how much we really accomplished."

"Right," I tell him. "Cullen says the trebuchets should be here very soon, before you get back. Looks like you won't have much rest before we head to Adamant."

He sighs. "I'm getting used to sleeping on the road. But the sooner we stop the Wardens' plot, the sooner we take away Corypheus's advantage."

"For what it's worth, I think we both accomplished plenty this time, Declan. Our team found out that the red templars had been experimenting on newborn dragonlings with the red lyrium."

"You're kidding," he comments, shaking his head, and I hear Tenebris voice his disgust, although I can no longer see him.

I press my lips into a line, thinking about the cages holding lyrium-infected draonlings. "My theory is that they were probably trying to create another version of Corypheus's dragon. Thankfully, they're gone from that place as best we can tell, and Nimbus and her babies are getting better at defending themselves by the day so they shouldn't be able to get any of the young ones again, at least."

"Good." He takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders. "Every little bit is a step in the right direction. Thanks for reminding me. It gets easy to get lost in disappointment, but we are making progress. I'll see you soon, Ferox."

I nod, then shyly add, "I want to see Varric again, one last time."

Declan smiles, and hands over the pendant. I take a moment and just look at Varric. "Come home safe to me, Varric, okay?"

"Yeah. I'm happy knowing you're alright, too. See you when I get home, Firefly."

I mouth the words I love you to him and see him smile before the energy distorts again.

Tenebris appears. "What about Lucis? He did alright?"

"He did great, Brother."

"Good to hear. Goodbye, Sister."