Chapter 63: At the Maker's Side

"Firefly!" Varric's voice calls out with a number of emotions at seeing me, but I don't have time to sort them out.

Shit, no, this isn't happening. Not now. Varric, don't get close to me, it's not safe.

"Get away from me!" I bite out, Toth's voice creeping into my own. "Get my brother."

"I'm here," Tenebris says, and I feel, rather than see him kneel next to me. My eyes squeeze shut in pain. "Hang on, imp," he mutters, and I feel the familiar chains of his blood magic wrap around me and tighten. Good, keep me from hurting anyone. I open my eyes and try to focus on him, but my vision is blurry. He places a hand over my chest to begin drawing out the corruption...but nothing happens.

"What happened?" he asks someone over my head.

Hawke answers, "She used the ring again to bring us back." Hawke sounds okay. Thank the stars it didn't affect him.

Tenebris curses and reaches down to touch my forehead. I try to jerk away, not wanting to burn him, but the fingers that stroke my skin feel warm and he doesn't pull away. I'm not turning?

"It's not the Blight, Ferox. I'm not sure what is wrong."

The pain overcomes me again, radiating out from my chest, and I cry out, my voice and Toth's mingling in a choked sob.

"You can't do anything for her?" Varric asks, his voice thick.

I feel a rush of air behind me, and I know that Lucis has arrived. His emotions are in turmoil, and I'm guessing he either sensed mine or was watching in the Well.

"Tenebris, release the binding," Lucis orders. "Let me tend to her." The others back away, all save Tenebris.

Tenebris responds, "I can hear Toth in her voice, but it's not the corruption. I don't know what's wrong with her."

Lucis sighs, taking Tenebris's place next to me. His kind, pale blue eyes look down at me with sadness. "The magic of the ring had no resources to pull from, so it drained her mana instead. If she had been rested, it probably would have taken a substantial amount, but she would have been fine. But, after the battle, she was already low, and carrying a passenger. When she ran out of mana, it began pulling on her very life force. Toth is likely trying to protect the body they share."

"Can you help her?" Varric asks, and I feel a shift in my brother's emotions.

"You lost the right to ask me questions when you let her get hurt, Child of the Stone," he states, his tone ice cold. "Back away." Lucis reaches a calming hand over my head and whispers, "Sleep, Sister." Drowsiness overcomes me. He's trying to put me into stasis. No. I struggle, but I already feel the darkness of sleep encroaching. It's all I can do to keep my eyes open, but I can still hear the conversation around me. I feel my body move, and I know I'm being picked up in my twin brother's arms.

"Where are you taking her?" Varric asks.

"I already warned you once, dwarf; you will hold your tongue."

"Please," he says, "let me come with you, at least."

Hawke interjects, "Varric, don't...this is going to sound crazy, but her brother is the Maker."

"What?" comes the curt reply. Silence follows. I wish I could see his expression, that I could reassure him. I'd tell him that a bunch of Chantry nonsense doesn't matter, that I love him and want to spend forever with him, but my weariness is keeping me from doing any of that, and I can no longer even keep my eyes open.

Lucis answers, "The mortal speaks true; I am the one you call the Maker. I am Lucis the Creator, god of Light and Creation. I trusted you with her once, dwarf, and you proved yourself unworthy of her. I will not be making the same mistake again. Ferox is going home with me to the Black City, where she belongs, and where she will stay."

"Lucis, don't do this," Tenebris protests. "Ferox wouldn't want it this way."

"The time for what Ferox wants is over; I know what's best for her. You should come home with us, too, Tenebris."

A pause. "No," Tenebris says, almost imperceptibly, but then his voice returns with more confidence. "No, I stand with the Inquisition."

"Then you will suffer their fate, as well," my brother says, and the change in ambient sound tells me he used his ring and we're home again. That's the last thing I'm aware of before I finally lose my battle against sleep.

I wake slowly in my room in the Black City. My body aches, and I feel as though I have run for hours. Lucis is here, murmuring soothing words as he runs a cool cloth over my forehead. My eyes flutter open and I look up at him. My head feels foggy, as though I can't quite gather my thoughts. I feel like I shouldn't be here...but why?

My brother smiles. "Good, you're awake. I was worried the magic had drained too much from you. You gave me quite the scare." A gentle hand traces over my damp hair.

"How long have I been sleeping?" I ask.

A guilty expression appears on his face, but is quickly replaced with his kind smile again. "I had to keep you asleep for a while so you could heal."

"How long, Lucis?" I repeat, my tone still calm although my anger is starting to rise within me already, fueling me.

"A week," he admits.

"A week?" I gasp, sitting up, my thoughts immediately racing to how worried Varric will be. Varric, that's why I can't be here. I reach down to grasp my pendant, but find it gone. Looking down at my hands, I see that my travel ring is gone, and more depressingly, the lovely opal ring Varric had said reminded him of me. I look at Lucis in alarm.

"You need to stay here, Ferox. You nearly died. I won't risk you like that again, I can't."

"Give me back my things, I'm going back."

He frowns. "No," he says, shaking his head. "You can be mad at me all you want, but I'm going to keep you safe."

I move to get up, and realize I'm dressed differently than I last remember, too. I ignore that train of thought and stand up. "The second I have an opportunity, I'm leaving. You can't keep me here."

"Sister…" he hedges.

"What are you going to do, Brother? Will you hit me again?" I poke petulantly.

He winces. "Ferox, you're better off here. You don't know what's coming…" he looks away, and suddenly I feel as though I'll never breathe again.

"It's you, isn't it? You're working with Corypheus," I say, my fears put into the most terrifying words I've ever spoken.

His expression gives away nothing. "Corypheus is just a pawn," he says. "The end of the world of mortals is coming quickly, Sister. It's only a matter of time before it comes to fruition, through one means or another."

"But you're helping it," I add, horror of the realizations coming to my mind.

"Yes." His eyes give no sign of a lie, and I know his words to be true. Lucis wants the world to end.

I shake my head. "What have you done, Brother?"

"I'm starting over."

I walk over to him, my jaw set. I almost chew the words as I spit them out. "Did you use your magic to give Corypheus that dragon?"

He doesn't look me in the eye, and I know the answer before he speaks. "I did," he says quietly.

"I can't even look at you right now. Get out of my room."

His eyes widen in confusion. "I said get out!" He doesn't budge. "Get out, getoutgetgout GET OUT!" I yell. He backs up, one step at a time.

I shove him out of the door and slam it in his face. I can see the hurt in his eyes, but I don't care. My favorite brother summoned a dragon and gave it to that corrupted monster...ugh, I'm going to be sick.

Dizziness hits me and I have to lean on a chair for support. Maybe I'm not completely healed, after all. I sit on the bed, and end up laying down, hoping the room will stop moving soon. I wrap my hands around my aching stomach, trying not to be ill.

How did this happen? When did it happen? For Lucis to have given the dragon to him, it had to have been a year ago, maybe more. He's been planning this the whole time? And what is Etiam's role in this? Another image flashes through my mind: Etiam chatting with Fen'Harel. I bet the Trickster - that little weasel - is involved in this, too. I never should have kept his secret.

I've never wanted to talk to Tenebris more, but I don't have my pendant. But I can use the Watcher's Well! Of course, I bet Lucis isn't even far from my doorstep yet. After our little discussion just now, I doubt he's going to be keen on me communicating with Tenebris and Varric. Don't give up on me, Varric, I'm coming back as soon as I can. I realize I'm going to have to play along with my brother a little to get him to trust me. He'd never believe it right now, not after I just shouted at him. In the morning, I tell myself. I should just focus on getting some sleep, and I can deal with it tomorrow. Even with as nervous as I am, I'm also exhausted, and it doesn't take me long before I find myself falling asleep.

I awake to find I'm still in my room, with the door still locked, and sigh, remembering what has transpired. Lucis helped Corypheus make his phony Archdemon. I need to know what else he's done. I get out of bed, my stomach settled somewhat since last night, and I walk to my vanity. Looking in the mirror, I'm saddened at the loss of my pendant, as I'm so used to wearing it every day. I miss you, Varric. I remember our eyes meeting in the mirror the morning he proposed. We'd been so happy.

I dress for the day in all black, as it suits my mood. The darkness of the color makes my skin look even paler, and accentuates the faint shine of the light on my dark hair. I leave my hair loose, not wanting to bother with styling it, and, pulling on my simple slippers, walk to the door. I listen for a minute, but hear nothing in the hallway. I wonder how long my brother stood outside last night, waiting for me.

Opening the door, I peek out and find it deserted. While relieved for a second, I know I'm going to have to deal with my brother, and head toward his room. The door stands partially open and I see him sitting on his bed, holding something in his lap. I move closer and he looks up, a pained expression on his face.

I get a better look at the object he's holding and realize it's Andraste's sword. I sit down next to him. "I think we need to talk, Lucis."

He nods, running a hand over the hilt of her sword before setting it aside. He reaches to his nightstand and grabs something before turning back to me. He takes my hand and drops the opal ring in my palm.

"I was wrong to take this from you. I'm sorry," he says. "I thought about it last night, and how I would have felt if someone had taken Andraste's things from me. You are entitled to your memories, at least."

I slip the ring back onto my ring finger, and feel a sense of relief at having it back. "Just this? You weren't wrong to take the other things?"

"I can't lose you, Ferox. I won't."

I grasp his hand, trying to keep down my own disgust and rage at what he has done. "I want to understand, Brother. Please tell me why you would help Corypheus."

"The world is dying; magic is dying. You've seen it, felt it, I know. Fen'Harel has a plan that can save it."

"The Dread Wolf? How could you trust him after what he's done to our family?" I ask.

"I don't...not completely, but I trust his agenda. Fen'Harel wants to raise the elves back to their former glory. He plans to tear down the Veil."

I gasp. "But that would mean…"

"The death of most of the races of Thedas, yes. But magic would return. The world wouldn't end completely, and we would be protected here. We would survive it and see the world born anew, the way things used to be so long ago. We could start over. It's what you've been working toward, isn't it? Saving magic?"

I'm having a hard time catching my breath because I realize he's right. If he had come to me with this plan before I joined the Inquisition, I probably wouldn't have had a second thought about going along with it. The "filthy humans" as I'd called them wouldn't have been a consideration at all. But that was before I knew them, remembered what it felt like to be among them, to care about them.

"You're wrong, Lucis. It doesn't have to be that way. There's another way - the dragons. Cinder, the Sandy Howler I met in the Hissing Wastes will be an Ancient very soon. We'll see new magic born into the world for the first time in centuries."

"Maybe I don't want to save things as they are, Ferox." His expression goes cold. "The world has not changed since I last left it. It's time to start fresh."

"You just don't know them," I protest.

"I saw them just fine with my own two eyes. Liars, thieves, and betrayers, all of them. I know you want to trust them, but how long would you have before they turned on you? When they grew afraid of your power or jealous of your youth and beauty, they would try to take it, just like the magisters. You know they would."

"That's why you're doing this? For me? I don't want this." I shake my head.

"No, not just for you. For me, too...it hurts too much to live in this world."

I sigh and squeeze his hand. "It's not too late to reconsider. Come back, help the Inquisition stop Corypheus."

"No, Ferox, my mind is made up. I will not be swayed."

I sit back in disappointment. I had hoped my brother would listen to reason. "Where is Etiam?"

"With Fen'Harel."

"With the Inquisitor?"

"No, Fen'Harel has left the Inquisition. Etiam was helping him hide, but things became more difficult after Adamant."

So that's how he was doing it. Etiam was using spirits to make people forget. Damn it, both of them were working against us the whole time. But Etiam usually goes along with the most probable outcome. Does that mean that the mortals are going to lose? Not if I have anything to say about it.

"I'm going to go see Tempestas. I'll see you for dinner?" I ask, a plan already forming in my mind.

He smiles, hesitant. "I know you're not happy about being here Ferox, but I'm glad you're safe. It will be alright in the end."

The fuck it will. You want to murder everyone I care about, including our own brother. I won't let you do this.

He frowns, picking up on my emotions in spite of my best efforts to hide it. "You don't have to approve. It's already been set in motion; there's no stopping it now. I'll see you later, Sister."

He picks up the sword again, examining it, and I walk out, closing the door softly behind me. I consider going for the Well, but I let it go for now. Too risky; if I get caught, he'll likely make sure I can't ever use it again. Bide your time, Ferox. I descend to the lower caverns and light the magic crystal with a tiny bit of power, being careful not to expend too much energy in my still-weakened state.

"Tempestas?" I call, and I'm happy to see that she's awake.

"Stormbringer, you have returned." Her large head lowers, and I move to take my position on the wall so as not to tire her neck from looking down at me. I say nothing for a while and neither does she, the two of is just sitting together in companionable silence.

Finally she looks away, into the darkness that holds the other generals. "Do you wish to talk about it?" she asks, understanding me quite well after our many long years together. "It is about the brother again, is it not?"

"Always, it seems," I admit with a sigh. "He's gone too far this time; he's trapped me here."

"You wish to leave?" the Ancient dragon asks, angling her head to look at me.

"Very much so. I'm in love, and I'm going to be married," I tell her, unable to keep the smile off my face, thinking about my loving dwarf back home. He should still be on his way back from Adamant right now.

"You've chosen a mate after all this time?" she wonders. "Congratulations."

"If I can get back to him in time." My smile dies, and I think about Lucis's plan. "Lucis is trying to bring about the end of the world, at least for the mortals. I can't let that happen, Tempestas. I have to put a stop to this."

"I could take you," Tempestas suggests.

"I appreciate the offer, Tempestas, but we need travel magic to get out of the Fade. My ring is gone, and it would take the four of us to create another. Lucis would never agree."

"You need the magic of three other beings, not necessarily your brothers."

My jaw drops. I'd never thought of that. I beam at Tempestas, immediately nodding. "Yes, let's do it! When can you wake them?"

"We should wait a few days, to avoid rousing suspicion," she says, and I swear I think I hear amusement in her voice.

I smile. I'm going home to Varric. I close my eyes, savoring the thought for now, knowing I'm going to have to hide this feeling from Lucis. I focus instead on thinking about how the spell might not work, and how angry I am at him, instead. Better. Hold on to that.

"Thank you, dearest friend."

Tempestas just lowers her head in a nod. "Will I approve of this human?" she asks.

"That's just it, he's not human. He's a dwarf - a handsome, romantic, heroic dwarf."

"You are in love," she teases.

We talk for what feels like hours, and before I know it, it's time to return to my brother for dinner as I'd promised. I say farewell to my best friend, and put the walls of anger back up around my emotions, steeling my expression and remembering the pain that Corypheus's dragon was experiencing. Lucis did that; he's responsible for its suffering. I remember Tenebris saying he stood with the Inquisition, standing up to our brother. Me too, Tenebris. Soon. I disconnect the magic to the light crystal and take the stairs back to the main hallway, where I know my brother awaits.