Well, my brother has covid. In a room of 6 vaccinated and masked people, one person with covid managed to infect 4 of the other 5. Seems like he's gotten off with mild cold symptoms (vaccinated, like I said), but he has two little girls too young to be vaccinated. It's just a wait now to see if they're infected.

Stay safe out there, you guys.

And Mages

"I'm fine," I repeated testily for about the fiftieth time in the hour since dawn, this time to Dorian. And I was, mostly - still a little tired from blood loss, perhaps, but not in danger of passing out, or even of falling asleep the moment I blinked. My shoulder was still a bit tender, but I could move with no more than a twinge, and in the rush of battle I likely wouldn't even notice.

For someone who insisted he wasn't a healer, Solas had done a remarkably good job in the time he had been given.

No one had chided me for my carelessness. Solas, who might have, had too many other things on his mind, from healing me to the tie between us that we had discovered the afternoon before. Everyone else considered my injury a piece of bad luck - no one would expect a half-blind mage to notice the perfectly ordinary human thief creeping up on her.

But I should have. I knew it was my own fault, even if no one else was going to hold me responsible.

And then my spell had missed.

I needed to practice more. Harder. Maybe in some other way. Something. I wasn't good enough, not yet.

"Look, I'm just making sure nothing has come up in the last three minutes since someone asked," Dorian told me from somewhere over near our mounts. I couldn't see what he was doing, but he and Solas were getting ready to leave to meet Leliana's forces. This camp, it turned out, was near a path that slipped through the hills, shadowed by tall rock walls and making ample use of preexisting caves - perfect for hiding them from mundane watchers. Since they were both mages, arcane watchers were not, of course, a consideration.

I found myself smiling, a considerable portion of my irritation melting away under Dorian's charm. "Make sure nothing has come up with yourself," I told him. "I know being bait is the most dangerous job, but yours isn't exactly without risk - and Solas may be tired after all his work yesterday."

"I am perfectly well," Solas insisted from somewhere beyond Dorian.

We hadn't had a chance to talk about the discovery from the day before. It was forcing me to come around a bit on the human definition of privacy. This was not something I wanted to discuss in front of others, even if they were pretending not to listen.

"I am perfectly certain you're lying," Dorian retorted. "Either that or you are secretly a healer."

Solas muttered something that might have included the words "merely efficient."

"I'll keep an eye on him - and I'll tell that spymaster of yours to do the same," Dorian promised, mostly to annoy Solas - which worked. He didn't say anything, but I could hear his icy silence.

"If looks could freeze," Varric chuckled from the other side of the fire.

"We're mages," Dorian reminded him. "Looks can freeze - which I think implies he isn't nearly as irritated as he acts?"

I heard leather creak as someone mounted. "Are we going, or do you intend to spend the day trading jests?" Solas demanded.

More leather creaking. "I'm ready, I'm ready," Dorian sighed. "See you in an hour or two, Inana - and I suppose the rest of you, too," Dorian said, his voice drifting back as the sound of hooves carried him away.

"Are you certain - " Blackwall began as the sound of horses died away.

"I'm fine!" I snarled before he could even finish, well and truly done with the question.

His voice was faintly amused as he went on: " - certain you should be trusting him? The magister."

"Ir abelas," I sighed, rubbing my forehead with the back of one hand and feeling guilty for losing my temper over a simple, concerned question. No matter how many times it had been repeated. I took a breath to calm my slightly elevated heart rate and considered Blackwall's question. "First," I told him, trying to sound calm and reasonable, "Dorian's not a magister, just a mage from Tevinter. Second, no - if I were certain, Solas wouldn't be going along with Leliana's forces. Third, if he had wanted to deliver me to Alexius, yesterday would have been a good opportunity, so my certainty is growing."

"Don't be sorry for misunderstanding what he was asking," Varric said. "He definitely worded it that way on purpose. Anyway - I know liars, and Sparkler isn't one of them. Not like that, anyway."

"You know liars?" Blackwall scoffed.

"Look, Hero, everyone can see you have a dark and melancholy past that you're not willing to tell the truth about, okay? No need to shove it in our faces all the time, as though we're overlooking you."

The Warden grunted. "We should pack up and get moving," he said.

"Give it a few more minutes," Varric advised, and I heard him sigh and shift position. "Skulking takes longer than riding openly."

"You would know all about skulking, I take it?" Blackwall said it like an accusation.

"Almost everything there is to know," Varric replied, turning it into a point of pride.

"I wish I could skulk," I mused.

"Vanish, you can pull people through the Fade. Why would you need to skulk?" Varric demanded with a laugh.

"Well, if I could skulk, it would likely mean I could walk without tripping over every wrinkle of ground. That would be pleasant." It was my turn to sigh.

Neither of them seemed to have a reply for that, and we were all silent for a long moment.

Varric was the one who broke the silence: "So. You worried about this? Meeting Alexius?" he asked me.

"I'm not suicidal, so yes, of course," I replied. "But I don't see many other choices. Whatever Cullen says, attempting to recruit the templars and then deal with Alexius sounds like a terribly risky gamble. The man is using time magic that, even if it couldn't be used to negate all our efforts, might tear us apart if he loses control of it while we're trying to find a safer way to deal with him."

"No arguments here - this time-related shit makes me almost as nervous as the hole in the sky," Varric assured me. "Just wanted to know where your thoughts were - for posterity, if I ever get the chance to write about it."

I laughed. "I suppose what I do might be of interest to history, but why would anyone care what I thought of it?"

"You're kidding, right?" Varric asked. "That's where the story is, Vanish. No one cares about dry recitations of events. Everyone wants to know what the heroes and villains were thinking and feeling. It's called characterization, look it up."

"I'll take your word for it," I told him, still amused.

"Can we start getting ready now?" Blackwall demanded before we could go on arguing.

"What do you say, Varric?" I asked lightly. "As our resident skulking expert, I mean."

"We can start getting ready now," he sighed.

It didn't take long - we weren't breaking camp or anything, just bringing our gear along with us, and all three of us were at least half in our armor already. Once that was done, it was just a matter of mounting up and leaving.

We rode easily, mindful of the time Leliana would need to find and traverse the secret escape, but had no trouble getting into Redcliffe, or into the castle. The great hall was a slightly more complicated affair. The floor was smooth enough, so I had that on my side as we entered, but I couldn't actually see if there was anyone waiting - not until we were face to face, anyway. I waited a moment in front of a figure who looked more like a guard than a servant, but received nothing, not even a bare acknowledgment - though, to be fair, the guard was wearing a full face mask. Behind me, I heard Blackwall shifting uncomfortably. "Well? We're here. Announce us," I ordered, lifting my chin and hoping bravado might carry me through.

I saw movement and realized someone else approached. Had I done this wrong, or was this a deliberate show of discourtesy, making us wait a moment? The man's words were certainly a discourtesy: "The magister's invitation was for Mistress Lavellan and no one else. You lot wait here."

I tried to channel Deshanna when she was glaring down someone from the clan, and fixed my eyes on the blur where the voice had emerged. "So Alexius is going to meet me entirely in private? No servant? No guards? No scribes?" I felt anger rising and pushed it back down. "These two are my aides. I couldn't possibly negotiate without them."

"He's wearing a sword. And a shield," the man pointed out flatly - indicating Blackwall, I assumed.

"He's a very skilled negotiator," Varric couldn't resist putting in, as my attention was stolen by the faint shadow of a wisp dancing beyond the Veil, carrying with it the barest scent of frost. The first signal: they were within the castle. Leliana swore she had been all through it before, and knew the fastest ways from the lower levels to the great hall. I hoped she was correct.

"I'm here, on Alexius's home ground, as a show of goodwill," I reminded the servant, dragging my attention back to the matter at hand. "If he cannot even allow me the basic courtesy of an escort in return, I see no reason I should trust him to negotiate in good faith, either."

The servant hesitated, and I knew I had won.

"Come," he said, and led the way up several sets of stone stairs toward...some sort of light source. I couldn't see it - but I did see Alexius's aura ahead, and, beside it, a weaker one I recognized as belonging to Felix.

"A lot of guards," Varric muttered at my back as we walked, no doubt aware I couldn't see them properly. "Anything from Chuckles yet?"

I nodded minutely, and heard a relieved sigh.

"My lord magister, the agents of the Inquisition have arrived," the man leading us called out as we arrived at the top of the stairs.

"My friend!" Alexius said, and I knew by his aura he had risen and stepped forward a pace. "It's so good to see you again." Somehow he made his overt show of amity absolutely venomous. It made me feel like a mouse being watched by a snake. "And your associates, of course," he added in what he no doubt thought was a gracious tone. "Between the two of us, I'm sure we can work out some arrangement that is equitable to all parties."

"Indeed," I agreed shortly.

Before I could even begin to consider how to go on, there was movement - Fiona had stepped forward, I realized as she spoke. "Are we mages to have no voice in deciding our fate?" she demanded.

"Fiona, you would not have turned your followers over to my care if you did not trust me with their lives," the magister replied, likely trying to sound wounded, but mostly just sounding satisfied.

I heard her swift intake of breath and spoke before she could provoke him into something before we were ready. "Of course she trusts you, Alexius," I soothed him.

"I'm sure lots of people put their lives in your hands," Varric added with thinly-veiled sarcasm. "You just have one of those faces."

"Yes, the Magisterium tells me that so often," he said, beginning to sound impatient. "Shall we begin our talks?" His aura moved, and I saw him sit down. "The Inquisition needs mages to close the Breach, and I have them. So, what shall you offer in exchange?"

I needed more time, so I had to pretend to negotiate, even with ice churning in my stomach. "Well, what does one offer the magister who has everything?" I asked, certain he would hear the nervousness behind the joke. "Perhaps you require aid holding this castle against the Fereldan army, which is certainly on its way."

"You would risk the Inquisition's ties with Ferelden for me?" he asked in return.

"For the mages, and the chance to close the Breach, I would risk anything. Including my own life," I replied, not even lying. I was here, after all.

"The Fereldan army doesn't interest me," Alexius said, dismissing the offer. "Why would I wish to acquire holdings in this...mud-drenched backwater?"

Another wisp found me, and this time I could taste the frost it carried. They were drawing near. I only needed to keep him talking a little longer.

"I'm sure the Hinterlands have their beauties," I told him, but moved on quickly. Time to deploy surprise, perhaps. Anything he told us about the Venatori and this "Elder One" could only serve to aid us later. "Very well then - perhaps you would like to speak of something else? You could, perhaps, tell me of these 'Venatori' I have heard so much about."

There was a moment of stunned silence throughout the hall. Good. Stunned silence was good - at least so long as it didn't lead immediately to violence. "Now where could you have heard that name?" Alexius wondered, the pretense of warmth slipping from his voice.

"I told her," Felix said unexpectedly as I opened my mouth to deflect further.

Another stunned silence. "Felix," the magister choked, "what have you done?"

"I'm risking my life for the mages, but I'm not giving it away for free," I told him. "Did you think I would come here without first learning something of your motives?"

"I've yet to see your cleverness, I'm afraid," he scoffed.

I pushed aside the urge to laugh - it was likely half-hysterical anyway. "Is cleverness of much use if other people see it?" I asked, perhaps a bit too honestly - and that was likely from nerves as well.

It seemed to anger him. "You walk into my stronghold with your stolen mark - a gift you don't even understand - and think you're in control?" I waited as he took a breath, composing himself. "You're nothing but a mistake."

"Mistakes can be deadly," I pointed out, thinking of my clan and how near to disaster we always stood. One large enough mistake might wipe us out. I hoped something similar held true for these Venatori.

"It was the Elder One's moment," he cried, anger consuming him again, "and you were unworthy even to stand in his presence!"

"Father, listen to yourself," Felix said gently. "Do you know what you sound like?"

Another voice rang out from the shadows, and it was all I could do not to sag with relief: "He sounds exactly like the sort of villainous cliché everyone expects us to be," Dorian said, his voice snapping with its own barely-controlled anger.

"Dorian," the magister said, the word low and deadly as Dorian joined me, standing at my shoulder. I turned my head and gave him a nod of greeting. "I gave you a chance to be a part of this. You turned me down. The Elder One has power you would not believe. He will raise the Imperium from its own ashes."

"Cultists," I sighed to Dorian, taking enough courage from his presence to offer him a small smile.

"Blah, blah, my cult is better than yours," Varric muttered behind us. "Heard it once, heard it a thousand times."

"Well, you know, it's a chance for the Imperium to one-up that whole 'starting the Blight' thing," Dorian told us both, returning my smile with a hopeful quirk of his lips.

"He will make the world bow to mages once more," Alexius intoned, ignoring us. "We will rule from the Boeric Ocean to the Frozen Seas."

Fiona, temporarily forgotten, gasped. "You can't involve my people in this!" she cried. I glanced toward her, but she was too far away for me to see, so there was no way to ask her to let Dorian handle things with Alexius.

"Alexius," Dorian said, stepping forward in an attempt to reason with him, "this is exactly what you and I talked about never wanting to happen! Why would you support this?"

"Stop it, Father," Felix begged, joining Dorian's plea, attacking his father's resolve from another angle. "Give up the Venatori. Let the southern mages fight the Breach, and let's go home!"

I heard a soft whistle of arrows, and knew Leliana's people were quietly removing the guards from play.

"No," Alexius replied, a sob catching in his voice. That seemed...odd. "It's the only way, Felix. He can save you!"

Ah. Things began to make sense.

"Save me?" Felix repeated.

"There is a way. The Elder One promised. If I undo the mistake at the temple…"

"I'm going to die," the younger man insisted. "You need to accept that."

Dorian stood just ahead of me - close enough to touch. Close enough that I saw his shoulders tense.

"Seize them, Venatori!" Alexius called out - and only then realized most of his men within the hall were dead or dying.

"I did warn you," I reminded him. The words should have been a gloat, maybe, but they emerged grave and sober. The revelation about Felix made anything else seem...crass.

"You are a mistake!" he gasped. "You never should have existed!"

Magic flared as some enchanted item Alexius possessed roared to life. "No!" Dorian shouted, his staff already in his hand. He sent a bolt of lightning toward Alexius, but a terrible, twisting, sick-making portal of magic opened before us, reaching for me - but catching Dorian as well, as he stood between me and it.

I stepped forward and grabbed him, pushing aside the Veil and wrapping the Fade around us both - but the portal followed, hungering for the magic bound to my hand. Desperately I sent us - anywhere. Away. But tendrils caught me, and Dorian with me, drawing us both into the ravenous maw. Everything went blindingly bright.