Sure thing, El'las'in knew how to fight, magic or not. Now that they were four of them, the road to the forward camp was quickly crossed. She knew six eyes were on her and she was acting with a lot of caution, not to give away her being a mage to Cassandra. She knew this part could not live long but she wanted to keep the fade-cloak-escape a possibility as long as she could. Her real precautions were about what she said.

Once in front of the gates, they ended up face to another rift. As she wielded her mark to close it, she fell its magic melting a bit more with her own, granting her more control about how to direct its magic. Even if it meant the thing was to become easier, she was not very happy with that. The more it stirred, the more likely she would not get rid of it. She shrugged on the inside. Whatever, she will not live long enough for it to become a problem, after all.

The soldiers opened the gates. The shouts of the red-haired called Leliana she met earlier with a man dressed with the Chantry robe welcomed them. The man looked at her with loathing.

"Ah, here they come." Leliana took a step forward.

"You made it. Chancellor Roderick, this is – "

"I know who she is. As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution."

The elf was already scanning the area. A bridge. Fine, so, put on stealth, jump and run, easy enough. She was about to turn and to conform to her newfound plan when she froze, seeing Cassandra coming in front of her, her hand on the hilt but her threatening stance turned to the Chancellor, not her. That was unexpected. She glanced to Varric and Solas. They were closer to her but, as much on a defensive stance, not in a preventing-the-prisoner-from-moving position. Cassandra snorted.

"Order me? You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!"

"And you are a thug. But a thug who, supposedly, serves the Chantry!"

"We serve the most Holy, Chancellor. As you well know." Intervened Leliana.

"Justinia is dead! We must elect – "

"You cannot make election if the world is swallowed by this, meanwhile."

The white-haired elf interrupted him with a powerful voice and a high chin, pointing her finger to the Breach. The Chancellor seemed speechless that she even dared. She smirked with a condescending slow shake of the head before adding.

"Qalaba."

The cheeks of the man went on fire. She doubted anyone understood but it was not the point. The point was them acknowledging the language.

"Heretic! You caused this! You killed everyone!"

"Pashaara, Kabethari! Ashkost kata!" She held the Chancellor's gaze before dismissing him with disregard to focus on Cassandra and Leliana. She had made her point, now she was more interested in what capable people had to say. He turned to Cassandra as well.

"Call a retreat, Seeker. Our position here is hopeless."

Considering they were apparently going to listen to this idiot yet again, she stopped listening them a bit and focused on the whispering words of Solas.

"Would you mind translating at some point?" She saw the nod of Varric and suppressed a laughter.

"Qualaba designed a breed of incredibly stupid cows." She saw the smile on Varric's face and the curving threatening again Solas' composure. "For the rest, cannot say was as inventive. Basically, enough idiot, you are seeking your death." Solas snorted.

"The important point was not to be understood anyway, am I wrong?" She smirked but did not comment. The Seeker turned towards her.

"How do you think we shall proceed?"

She had kept a distant ear on the exchange and figured out what she meant. A new pulse of the rift interrupted her. Her palm burnt and choked her once more, stronger than before. She gritted her teeth to contain the cry of pain. She made a fist of her hand.

"F – asta vass." She corrected her swearing just in time so it mainly went unnoticed, even more with the sound of the Breach expanding. Solas tried to reach her hand but she held it. "I'm fine. M – y thanks, anyway." Damn it, she was losing her focus with the pain. She suppressed a wince and looked at Cassandra "I'm in for the mountain path. With luck, we could find your scouts and…I have the feeling quickest could be a good idea."

The pain was growing way too swiftly along with the impression of chocking. Still, she tried to keep the fastest pace she could. She just could not die before reaching this thing.

She was not putting as much effort as she had in her act. She had said enough Qunlat as it was, plus the antaam-saar, it would have to be enough. She had no time to play Orlesian or Tevinter on the road. Hopefully, they found the scouts easily enough – they sadly would have had no time to search for them if they didn't run into them. She had a hard time fighting, each pulsing in her hand loosening her hold on her dagger and being close to put her on her knees. She was hardly keeping up with the terror facing her. Its claws buried in her shoulder before she leapt. Cassandra and Solas rushed to her as she fell supine on the ground. The Seeker kept the terror busy as Solas help her up. He looked at the rift and told her.

"You can disrupt it, it will weaken the demons."

Not that she truly understood, her head spinning as it was, but still, she held her hand. Directing her palm to the rift, she found the magical manipulation of energies he meant. She disrupted it as he was helping her to stand. She felt the smooth sensation of protective magic around them. The terror, stunned, fell with the next blow of the Seeker's sword and Varric took down the last shadow. Seeing no more enemies, she held her hand once more and close it with a quick gesture. Solas, who was obviously about to reach her hand to do it, nodded appreciatively.

"You are becoming quite efficient at this." She snorted.

"The fight for dear life make of anyone a quick learner." He raised an eyebrow of disbelief.

"You are a difficult one, lethallan." Seeing Varric and Cassandra were talking to the scouts, she let the elvhen be heard for once.

"Ar dirth, lethallin. I've harthan." I know, lethallin. Heard that before. He smirked to her use of elvhen.

"Ahn mar melin?" What is your name? She laughed slightly.

"Da re El'las'in." 'Tis a big secret. He snorted.

"You have been craving to use this line, haven't you?" She shrugged.

"The pun only works in elvhen. A pity."

She noticed Cassandra was pointing her and turned her attention to the scouts. Seeing the leader of them babbling some thanks, she waved it with a smirk.

"What can I say? Saving people and killing people – Er…Things – are what I'm best at." She noticed the rolling eyes of Cassandra, obviously declaring why are my prisoners like this? The scouts looked at her bewildered and Varric burst into laughter.

"I knew I was going to like you!" He gave her a tap in the back and she winced, grabbing her elbow "Oh, shit. Sorry, kid. Take that." He handed her a potion. She took it gladly and went back to seriousness.

"We should move on." Cassandra gave a last glance to the scout. They nodded they could make it to the camp without help.

"Agreed."

When they arrived to the temple, her best composure was hardly enough to keep the horror from her face. The calcinated bodies, frozen in a last cry, in their attempt to flee the blast. She shook her head slowly. Who could do that? What could do that? Falon'din enasal enaste. She grabbed instinctively the pendant of her necklace. It had been a long time since she had kill someone without fulfilling a contract. But this…She would gladly stab the man…No, not a man, the beast able to cause that. She kneeled beside a corpse, tracing the fearful features of its last stand.

"Shok ebasit hissra. Meraad astaarit, meraad itwasit, aban aqun. Maraas shokra." Struggle is an illusion. The tide rises, the tide falls, but the sea is changeless. There is nothing to struggle against. She did not pronounce the last sentence of the prayer. Anaan esaam Qun. Victory is in the Qun. It did not make sense, not more to her than to these men and women. But she always liked this prayer, it had something beautiful in it.

She stood with determination. Grieve and mourn were for other. Lin'sul'lin. Blood for blood. She was an assassin. Respecting the dead was important, but what matters was vengeance. It began with fixing this mess. She felt the hungry pulses menacing to swallow her hand. She could help with that part. Better than nothing. She shook her head. She was going to die. She would have liked to send a last message to her sisters…But she could not trust these people. She could not give them her name, the name of her former clan, of her sisters. It would bring doom on them and be utterly stupid. An assassin was meant to die as he lived: in the shadows. Meravas. She smiled on the inside. She would never have convert, but she had learnt to see the comforting side of the Qun philosophy. She felt the knot in her belly come back. Weird that she ended up thinking of these Ben-Hassraths as her friends – sort of. But, well, three years working together can do that to people, obviously. She finally whispered the last sentence of the prayer for them.

She did not listen to Cassandra and Leliana, lost in her thoughts. When she finally realized eyes were turning to her, she dropped the hand she had holding her pendant and nodded, re-found fire in her eyes. It was unlike her not being focus on a mission. She was a professional.

A professional, yes. But a professional sure it was to be her last stand. It forced last minute introspection.

She started when the voice began resounded around them. She listened silently with a frown and hatred on her features. No doubt the damned responsible for this. She saw the pain in Cassandra's eyes when a new voice – the Divine's – appeared. She jumped first in the center of the Temple.

And her own voice appeared. She froze. And the vision emerged.

A dark form, glowing red eyes, was magically holding the Divine. The door slammed and the white-haired elf appeared, daggers in hands, ready to attack. Her voice, firm and assured, resounded.

"What's going on here?!" The Divine, alarmed, answered.

"Run while you can, warm them!" The elf's eyes widened in awe, looking at the form and around. Horror, deception, lack of understanding. The shadowed beast did not let her time to process. Not even turning to her, barely irritation in its voice.

"We have an intruder. Slaughter the elf."

The rift flashed and stopped the vision, letting everyone around in pause. She looked where her face stood few seconds before. What was in front of her to provoke such clear emotional reaction?! She started, Cassandra suddenly in front of her.

"You were there! Who attacked? And the Divine, is she…? Was this vision true? What are we seeing?" She held her gaze, her own eyes back to unreadable as she replied slowly with composed voice.

"I don't remember." Solas came to her rescue.

"Echoes of what happened here. The Fade bleeds into this place. This rift is not sealed, but it is closed. Albeit temporarily. I believe that, with the mark, the rift can be opened, and then sealed properly and safely. However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side."

"That means demons! Stand ready!" offered Cassandra as a practical sum-up to the soldiers above.

El'las'in waited for the soldiers and scouts to be in position. She felt the pulses quickening in her hand and gritted her teeth. Seeing everyone ready, she exchanged a nod with Cassandra. She took a deep breath and hardened her hold on the double-dagger. She held her mark high, directing it. Her eyes widened at the huge pride demon which jump through the rift. First thing it did was wiping her away fiercely. She flew on several meters before landing painfully. She could not help but swear.

"Su an'banal i'ma!"

The crack of her ribs had been loud and obvious to her ears. She reluctantly took a potion before jumping on her feet. Not like she was going to be of much help without it. Cassandra was already fighting the thing in fray. She disappeared in stealth to flank it when she remembered the little trick of earlier. She took few steps back and held her hand to disrupt the rift. The Pride Demon fell on his knees stunned. She charged then, her blade ready to sink through its weakened scales.

However, disrupting the rift apparently had its negative effects as shadows began to fall upon them. Considering the other appeared to handle the big one, she focused her effort on the shadows, taking advantage when they were away to disrupt the rift again.

After the third disrupting, she ended up surrounded by a terror and two shadows. She leapt around a first one and took it done easily when she looked towards the Pride Demon.

Solas was next to Cassandra and he was feeling his mana running low. The Seeker suddenly fell, wounded. He was dangerously close to the Demon, with no warrior anymore to keep the thing busy. His thoughts rushed, looking for a way out. Preferably, without letting the Seeker get crushed meanwhile. The demon was already tilting, its dark claws about to reach them both. The sensation of protective magic surrounded them in a second. The next, an ice pike buried itself deeply in the demon's throat. He heard the other elf's voice from the other side of the battle.

"This way, idiot!"

The demon took the bait and its head spun towards her. Its claws reached for the icicle and it roared with anger. It stood and began to walk towards her. Even if thankful, Solas looked at her with disbelief. A shadow and a terror were already on her. Hopefully, Leliana and Varric noticed her bad situation which suddenly grew worst with her provocation and their arrows and bolts lend a hand.

The white-haired smirked and decided quickly. Not like everyone did not see her using magic this time. Considering…She leapt back, summoning a fire mine where she stood few seconds before. It exploded in the face of the shadow and terror. With one more gesture, she put the arrows and bolts on fire as well, right before they reached their target. A ball of electricity brushed her left cheek as she moved in extremis. Fenedhis, it is pissed off. She ignored the burning on her cheek for the time being and froze the legs of the Pride Demon. It stumbled and fell on its knees.

She was not far enough and its claws shut on her too soon for her to leap again. She chocked under the pressure on her rib cage. Cassandra, back on her feet, charged the demon as Solas, finding a bit of mana back, put a barrier around her. bolts and arrows sank deep in its hands and he loosened his grip enough for her to escape. She fell nimbly on the ground and stood right away despite her obvious injuries. With a war cry, she summoned a spiritual blade around her dagger and sink it deep enough through the demon for it to come out the other side. With a splash of dark blood spurting on her, it faded, its energy going back to the rift.

She did not lose time and instantly held her hand up to close the rift. Once it flashed closed, she nothing but collapsed on the ground. She could even feel her internal bleeding. She heard Leliana and Solas shouting for healers as Cassandra declared to no one in particular.

"She is a mage?!" Varric, apparently kneeling next to her, considering the closeness of his voice, replied with no small amount of irritation.

"No one said she was not Seeker, you just assumed. Not like you offered her a staff. What do you think of discussing that once the kid is alive?!"

She almost laughed but the exhaustion was too strong and she did not discern other words before everything went black.

Su an'banal i'ma: To the Void with you