By some miracle no one had been seriously injured when Elden had blown a hole in the side of the mountain. He'd opened rifts before, but never this big or located inside a wall of stone and the destruction was impressive. For the most part, the camp wasn't in chaos any longer, but that certainly didn't mean it had calmed down.

Everyone was on edge, at a loss for what to do, the number of scouts keeping watch doubled in case the noise had drawn any unwanted attention. Everyone was either upset or angry or both. For his part, Dorian was focussing on the fury. It was easier than the fear and hopelessness or the way his hands shook. Dorian crossed his arms tightly over his chest, hoping no one would notice.

It was all impotent rage, of course. It's not like he could do anything with it, no enemies to set fire to, no idea who he was even supposed to be fighting here as Elden deteriorated more and more with no obvious cause. The Inquisitor was asleep at the moment thanks to his magic, but there was no telling if he'd see them as enemies or not the next time he woke. That was the worst of it, really. Dorian would never forget the way he had looked at him; there was no recognition there, only terror and despair.

"Well, if it's not magic, what else could it be?" Cassandra, frustration evident in her voice.

"If I knew that," Dorian said, unable to stop himself from snapping. "Then we wouldn't be in this situation, now would we? Regardless of whatever they did to him, he doesn't seem to be under the influence of any spell at the moment."

"And how can you be so sure?" Blackwall asked skeptically.

Dorian bristled at the comment but Vivienne cut in before he could come up with a suitably scathing reply. Probably for the best. As upset as Dorian was, as much as he wanted something to lash out against, his allies shouldn't be it.

"Darling, we're as sure as we can be, given the situation. Honestly it would be better if the Inquisitor were somehow under the control of this Ventori. Then at least we'd know what was happening and we might be able to use it against her."

"Well, then, good talk," Dorian said, unable to handle the atmosphere any longer. "Let me know when we actually have a plan. Until then-"

Cole, who had been lurking nearby, stepped forward suddenly, shoulders hunched as he spoke. "Fear of falling, fighting to keep back the darkness. But the darkness is inside."

"Well, of course it's on the inside," Dorian said irritably. "That's the problem, we don't know how she's getting in his head."

"I'm not sure that's what he means," Varric said. He'd been quiet till now, presumably deep in thought. "There's one thing that could be causing this. Red lyrium. It takes what people already are and twists it. My brother Bartrand, he was always a greedy bastard, but it drove him to try to kill his own blood. He locked Hawke and myself in a tomb and left us to die."

"Do you honestly expect any of us to believe Elden might turn on us for the promise of gold?" Dorian said with a humorless laugh. "Whatever's happening, it certainly isn't that. He didn't even recognize me."

"No, but it's different for each person. We've all seen the way the Inquisitor agonizes over every decision. He's terrified he isn't good enough and takes every failure, every death, personally. Dorian, you and I already witnessed him struggling with that. Maybe that had nothing to do with lyrium, it's possible all of this is just getting to him, but hearing things? Seeing things? Hallucinations are the next step. If just being around it drove Bartrand to murder. I can't imagine what it's doing to Elden on the inside."

They all fell silent then. Dorian desperately wanted to believe it wasn't true, but what else could it be? There were no other options. And of course there was so much red lyrium in the area, they wouldn't be able to sense it inside Elden himself. Dorian for his part had had a migraine ever since approaching the mountains and he imagined it was the same for Vivienne.

"When I found him," Dorian said slowly. "A corrupted templar was standing over him. If one of those things had been the one to injure him, a piece of red lyrium could have broken off inside of him."

He tried to hide the shudder that went through him at imagining it, at what Elden must be going through. It was ripping him apart from the inside, both body and mind alike. Lyrium poisoning at the best of times was deadly, but red lyrium? Could he even still be saved? Would there be anything left of the man Dorian knew when this was over, if he was even still alive? And if it had already taken root, would he become one of those abominations? He remembered that terrible future he and Elden had visited, how red lyrium had grown out and around Fiona and infected Leliana and the others. There had been no saving them.

"I've seen what this can do," Varric said. "We need to get it out of him immediately."

"And if it's not that?" Cassandra asked. "What if there's nothing to be found and we risk him bleeding out for nothing?"

"We need to get him back to Skyhold," Blackwall said. "We can't do anything for him here."

"I fear we may not have the time," Vivienne said. "If Varric is right, we must take the risk and remove it immediately."

"Madame Vivienne, pardon me," a scout said as she hurriedly approached. She looked grim but determined. "I have some experience training with the surgeon back at Skyhold, I've removed shrapnel before and I have medical supplies."

"Very well, then," Vivienne said. "Once finished, we'll need to get him back to Skyhold for proper treatment. We will need to be extremely careful, otherwise he might not make it."

"I'll take some scouts, see if I can find the best way down," Blackwall said.

"Then let's begin," Vivienne said. "Dorian, my dear, we'll need you to restrain him."

Dorian swallowed hard and nodded. Not that he didn't want to participate; on the contrary, he'd force his way into the tent regardless, he just wasn't looking forward to what needed to be done, no matter how necessary it was. Elden had been terrified, fearing for his life and the lives of his friends. If he wakes now, he might think he's being tortured all over again. Dorian had told him he'd help him, that he would protect him, but there was nothing else for it.

Dorian entered the tent and took a seat behind Elden, lifting his head gently into his lap. He was still asleep and Dorian caressed his cheek, wishing there was more he could do, that he could have prevented all of this from happening. There was only so much Dorian could do to keep him asleep with magic and he had a feeling the pain Elden was about to experience would make it ineffective, so he took a strap from his robe, placing it between Elden's teeth to bite down on. He then took Elden's arms, raising them above his head and holding them securely so he couldn't lash out as Vivienne and the scout took their places.

Dorian wasn't squeamish in the least; honestly he usually found it all rather fascinating; he'd become a necromancer for a reason, after all. But seeing Elden in agony as they cut into him was too much, he had to look away. He leaned low over Elden at the first surprised gasp of pain, whispering praise and encouragement, telling him it would be over soon, not even sure he could understand. Elden struggled weakly at first, but the cries of pain finally quieted when he past out from it. Dorian wasn't particularly experienced with healing magic, but he poured everything he had into Elden, assisting Vivienne in keeping him stable.

"Please stay with me," he begged, voice barely a whisper, eyes stinging with tears.

"Got it!"

When the scout removed the shard of red lyrium, Dorian wasn't sure what to feel. He was relieved it was out, of course, that they had some idea what was happening, but there was still so much irreparable harm it could have done over all this time. He shivered, imagining what Elden has been going through while they all simply sat by and let it happened. He'd seen what lyrium had done to templars, leaving them with failing memories and barely able to function, there was no telling how Elden would be or if he could fully recover.

Dorian was exhausted, no magic left in him, by the time they had Elden stitched up again. They were left alone and Dorian laid down beside him, wondering if this was where it would all end. He wasn't sure if he could ever make any of this right, or if Elden would even want him at his side after everything that had happened between them, but one thing was certain; all of this had only reaffirmed how much Dorian cared for this man and, if there was no objection, he would be there for Elden no matter the state he was in. He wouldn't abandon him again. However long was left, Elden would be comfortable and taken care of.