The sky was a pale grey when they finally made their first stop. Julian brought the group to a halt and nodded to Qaris before walking away, who immediately turned and pulsed out a familiar spell. It was the paralyze spell. Qaris was a fellow entropic. His oversized black eyes studied her strangely, their colorless depths curious and searching but still lacking the hostility that she kept expecting to see there. Maybe it was the blackness. She would have thought that would make a person look homicidal regardless of their actual temper, but his only seemed deep and quiet. He was a dutiful soldier, knowing what each wordless gesture made by Julian meant and obeying unconditionally. Of the entire group, he had been the only not to have said a single word since the moment they had all met.

While under control of Julian's blood magic she had been able to at least move her eyes, but the paralyze spell had every cell of her body except her lungs frozen into place. When Qaris slipped out of her field of vision, her ability to observe him disappeared. Had she been under her own control, she would have been fighting, with every intent to kill, maim, torture and cause the greatest amount of pain within her power. But after two hours of imprisonment within her own traitorous body, she had begun to let her eyes blur, retreating into her thoughts. She urged herself out of it, barking mentally at herself to pay attention! Take in every detail of these people possible, try to absorb every word, every telling gesture. Perhaps she couldn't fight back now, but the time would have to come when Julian, or someone, would slip up. Controlling people via blood magic took a prohibitively great store of energy, at least that is what they taught in the circle. If that was true, then he could only go on for so long. There had to be a destination in mind. There had to be a purpose to this strange forced march. And when that was revealed finally, she would fight. Of course she would fight, and so would Anders.

She tried desperately to crane her neck toward Anders even as she knew it was futile. She hadn't been able to get a good look at him at all since they left the tent. She felt completely split in two, wanting desperately to see his face, to reassure herself that he was whole and unharmed, but also terrified to see his body being worked like a puppet just as hers was. She reached her mind out to feel him, and nothing in her emotions changed. Either they were completely in tune already, feeling the same things, or her own fear was drowning out anything else.

When Julian returned he carried a shiny blade. He approached Selise and stood before her, his smile finally gone.

"Anna, was it?" he asked. "My apologies. I thought I had enough to get you back to the cave, but I miscalculated a bit. Thank the Maker for that fog last night, huh? If not for that you would have made it much farther out and then today would have been terribly long."

She felt a cold hand slide around her wrist, her arm jerking around as her sleeve was tugged back. And there was the slow piercing sting of the blade across her forearm followed by a spilling warmth.

"Don't worry, there are no major blood vessels here. I do need you to stay nice and strong, for a little while longer at least."

Anders sounded off a muffled croak and Julian's head turned sharply.

"Don't strain yourself over there," he teased, flashing his pearly teeth. "On second thought, go right ahead. See what good it does you."

A shadowy figure appeared in Selise's peripheral vision and hovered, and she heard the tinkling and dripping of liquid falling into something metal. The person was graceful and quiet, but stayed just out of sight. It wasn't until the figure spoke that Selise knew it was one of the girls.

"Shall we collect extra? So we don't have to stop again?" a lilting voice asked. She sounded much younger than Selise would have originally guessed.

"We should enjoy the stops while we can my dear," Julian crooned. "There will be far fewer of them once we set out for Skyhold."

Julian eyed her face amusedly as he shook out her arm and then wrapped something around the gash. "I think you two will walk in front for the rest of the way. Make it a little easier on me."

They retreated from view, leaving her and Anders standing quietly in the grey wash of wintery daylight. She felt his energy there, only a few feet away, but she could see nothing. Behind her, steps broke sharply through the icy snow, whispers twittered between girlish giggles.

When the magic fired back up, Selise could almost hear it; a low, whirring that felt like water filling the ears. It hit them in a wave and had she been standing of her own accord, her knees might have given out. But against everything that seemed possible, she remained standing and soon the trees before her eyes began to move, passing steadily from the landscape before her and into the hazy sea of her peripherals. A chorus of crunching footsteps replaced the whir as the group was on the move again.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I know what you are. Why you effect the Fade as you do. It was foolish of me not to recognize it sooner," the soft elven voice said from behind her, "Perhaps because your abilities lie dormant, completely unrecognized."

Selise turned to face Solas, shocked to see him before her. When had she fallen asleep? Her last memory was of her head falling forward, jolting her awake as she clutched at Anders' arm through the bars that separated their cells.

"Damnit!" she hissed as she looked around. She was out in a snowy valley, surrounded by towering pines and the jagged peaks of the Frostbacks. She began to pace, dragging her feet angrily through the shin deep snow.

She needed to wake up, immediately. She couldn't leave Anders alone there.

Solas walked around to step before her, an eyebrow raised. He had said things that sounded important, but she'd barely heard them. Something about abilities. Something lying dormant.

"Wait, what did you say? Please say it quickly, I cannot stay here," she said.

"You are experiencing difficulties?" he asked. "Are you in danger?"

"Yes, we've been captured. By blood mages. We're being held in an old slaver cave in the mountains," she said frantically, "I don't know yet what they intend to do with us, but they said they were trying to get to Skyhold."

Solas was silent for a moment, his brows furrowing into angry slashes.

"I will send help," he said.

"Help from Skyhold you mean?" Her mind raced. Did she really want to be dragged back to Skyhold? After they had come so far? As she thought, she noticed how Solas stood weightlessly on the surface of the snow, not sinking down into it like she was. It dawned on her that if they were dreaming, she should be able to do the same. Her body was not a true physical entity, and neither was the snow. They were all in her mind. In fact, she should have complete freedom to shape everything around her. She stepped up, pulling her feet out of the cold snowpack and imagined her body lightening as she lay them back down upon the surface. She continued her pacing, stepping lightly around without leaving a mark, just as Solas was. He watched with quiet interest.

"They'll only bring us back, won't they? We can't go back to Skyhold, Solas. You must know that, about… the thing we took. We'll be prisoners there too," she cried. "No. No help from Skyhold if that's what that means..."

"Yes, I do know about the book," he confirmed gently. "It is imperative that you not let it fall into their hands, Selise. I don't disagree that there are things within the book that must be brought to light, which I assume is your purpose. But there are also things in there that could be incredibly dangerous when wielded by maleficarum," Solas began to pace along with her, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared hard into space.

"No, this won't do. If you insist on no soldiers I will have to find another way. Let me do some research. I will be quick," he said.

Selise nodded gratefully and looked around again. Now, to wake herself. The thing she always struggled with when she woke within her dreams.

"You must sleep if we are to communicate, Selise. Which brings me back to what I came to tell you in the first place," he said. She looked at him, waiting.

"You are what the Tevinters called a somniari. I am one as well. Others just call us dreamers. I should have guessed when I was unable to take you from your dream before. And now…" he said, looking down at her feet. "You take control here, too."

"A dreamer? But everyone dreams. That is not so special."

"No, it is not the same. Once you've learned to control the talent you'll be able to enter the Fade at will, like I do. You can affect other people's dreams. It is why you disturb the Veil around you sometimes, and what caught my interest months ago. But you have no idea that you're doing it. You need training, practice."

Selise stared at him dumbly. It wasn't exactly what she expected to hear. She didn't know how it could possibly help her with her magic, the thing they were supposed to be working on in the first place.

"Sleep. Explore your dreams. You may even be able to find me yourself, now that our minds have touched. Try if you need to, but rest assured I will return as soon as I can. But for now…. wake up."

Selise jumped forward, her arm banging against metal, body wracked as though it was physically impacted by the onslaught of consciousness. She turned to Anders, who was stirring from his own sleep in response to her jerking. Other eyes were upon her as well. Qaris sat on the far side of the cave, cleaning a set of blades, while the twins sat together by a fire. The scent of cooking meat wafted from their direction and Selise's mouth automatically began to water.

Anders' grip on her arm tightened, sounding an alarm of pain through her lacerated skin. She winced and pulled back, babying the arm that Julian had opened in order to bleed for him. Anders had inspected the cut after they were finally released from their spells and locked up, all the while muttering angry curses under his breath. The frustration and despair of not being able to heal her had been plain enough upon his face that Selise had found it difficult to look at him. But the one upside to their cells was that the flat strips of metal that made up the bars were set wide enough apart that that they could fit an arm through. They had both protested being put into separate cells, but Julian only laughed as he locked the doors behind him. So they sat upon the floor, resting against a rough cave wall, arms laced through the bars dividing them, clutching each other however they could. Anders blinked the sleep out of his eyes and she met his worried gaze.

"Why do we still have no mana?" she asked under her breath. Ever since the blood control had lifted, they had both predictably began to reach for their spells but came up empty, their attempts at casting fizzling out like trying to light a fire with no spark or fuel.

"It came from one of those girls. Mana drain, I think," he whispered. He scanned the room, drawing his knees up to his chest and kneading nervously at the flesh of her arm. "It's a Spirit spell. Damn it. She might as well be a blighted Templar! And where is Julian?"

"I don't know. I fell asleep too. I didn't mean to," she began.

"Anders, do you know anything about something called… I think he said…somniari?"

"He? Julian?"

"Solas."

"Solas? Right, that elf mage. Well, a little. Actually I met one once. A boy in Kirkwall named Feynriel. He was lost in the Fade and Hawke and I and few others had to go kill the demons that were holding him there so he could wake up."

"Demons?" Selise asked, the hair on her arms standing up.

"Yes. Marethari said that the somniari are particularly attractive to demons because of their ability to enter and exit the Fade so easily. He was okay though, thanks to Hawke. He's in Tevinter now, I think. He was trying to find someone who could help him master his abilities. Those kinds of dreamers are very rare, as far as I know. Even the Dalish could not help him. Why?"

"Well, if Solas is correct, you have met more than one. Three, in fact, if you count Solas himself."

"What? You?" he asked, his jaw dropping.

"Apparently. I don't know, that's what he said just now."

"Just now, as in, just now? Selise, are you sure it's a good idea to just… I don't know, let him in like that?" he asked, "I don't think I like this, if he can just come and go in your mind whenever he chooses. I mean… could you block him out? Can he just see everything that's in there? And are you sure you trust him?"

"I honestly don't know Anders. He hasn't given me any reason not to trust him just yet. But that is all a part of this somniari thing I guess. It's possible that I could learn to do that too. To others," she told him quietly. "Plus, he said he'll try to help us with this mess… but I told him no Inquisition soldiers."

Anders ran his hand through his hair and swallowed heavily.

"Also, did you read anything in the book about… spells that would be particularly dangerous in the hands of blood mages?"

"I saw no actual spells. But I've only been able to read a tiny fraction of that book so far. Maker, these fiends are going to find it. They probably already have. Maybe Julian is reading it right now. And what are they going to do to us? Are they just going to drain us so they can use our blood?" his whispered speech came faster and faster, his voice sounding increasingly shaky, "March us back to Skyhold like fucking puppets? And then what!? Maker. Fuck. No, this can't end like this…. We've come too far and we're finally so close to getting back to civilization!" he groaned, his voice turning to a hiss, "And I will NOT let them hurt you. I will bring this whole blighted mountain down if I have to."

Anders' arm began to vibrate within her fingers and she felt the familiar energy of Vengeance rising up within him.

"Selise… what are we going to do!?" he gasped.

For a moment she was frozen in place. What would happen if the spirit was to emerge right now? And if she were to share him again… would his connection to the Fade give them access to their magic? But only Qaris and the girls were present. Even if Julian showed and they manage to defeat them all somehow, they'd still be locked in the cage, only with no one to let them out. If they were unsuccessful then these mages would only be informed of the spirit Anders carried. Maker could only guess what they might do to him after that. And what could Vengeance do from behind bars anyway? No, this was not a good time.

"Anders, not now. You have to get him under control," she whispered urgently. "Tell him to wait. Stop panicking, Anders, please."

She instinctively went to access her magic, but found nothing there. Her mana was gone. Even if she wanted to disorient him, or drain him, she could do nothing.

"Anders!" she hissed, trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible. It wouldn't do for the others to hear them calling each other different names than they had given. But Vengeance was rising, about to burst through. She saw the faint shine of blue in his eyes. What would calm him? She searched her mind desperately for an idea but without her magic she felt useless. Coming up with nothing else, she reached up to turn his head toward her, pulling it toward a gap in the bars. She pressed her lips to his, ignoring the sticky iron strips that were like ice against her cheeks. She kissed him hard, finding an opening to slip her other arm through so she could hold his face and stroke his hair. She poured as much passion into the kiss as she could, calling every ounce of his attention to her, luring him away from the precipice of hysteria.

At first he only stiffened, but when her fingers began to stroke his face, pulling lightly along the soft tendrils of his hair, she felt his body relax. She switched from trying to tease up arousal, to simply letting her touch soothe him, and within moments the vibrating energy begin to recede. His hands slid up her arm and tried habitually pull her into an embrace, but they were shackled by the wall of metal between them. She tried to block from her mind everything about their terrifying situation, the sickening smell of death that permeated the cave, the flashes of Julian's dark smile as he commanded their bodies through the forest like marionettes. She slipped away from the present and savored the feel of his lips against hers, trying to extend every second of the kiss, just in case it really was their last. They really had no idea what they were in for. It could be the end any time, if not tonight, then soon.

"Aw, isn't that cute," she heard a mocking female voice utter from a distance. But Selise didn't care. At the first opportunity, she would be sucking every ounce of life out of every one of them.

Anders pulled away from her and she relinquished the kiss reluctantly, resting her forehead against a cold metal bar.

"Thank you," he whispered, "But are you sure that was a good idea? Maybe letting him out would help. "

"I was thinking the same thing. But we need him to wait until the right time my love. When we are together, all of them are present, and we are not behind bars."

He trained his gaze sharply on her and nodded. "You're right. Of course you're right. Like you have been about so many things."

Sighing heavily, he dropped his head to his knees. "Is this all my fault? I shouldn't have trusted them. And now if they get the book…"

"They could have found our camp this morning even if we had left them right away like I wanted to. All they had to do was follow our trail in the snow. But the book is another issue…"

"But we still need it!" he whispered.

She fell silent. There was nothing they could do about that anyway. Not now.

Their attention was caught by the rising intonations around the fire. Etienne and Millie were glaring at each other.

"That's not what he told me!" the one in the adventurer gear cried.

"Etienne, he rarely tells you everything. You should know that by now," the other snarled. "Face it, you're just not as reliable."

"Oh you think because he lets you into his bed that you're, what, his right hand man?" Etienne laughed, "you think he's going to bother keeping you around after he has all of Skyhold…"

"Shssssst!" Came a sharp hiss from Qaris. He glared at them as he flicked his black eyes pointedly toward Anders and Selise.

Millie stood with a huff and stomped toward the mouth of the cave, wrapping a blanket around herself and then slipping outside.

"That was our blanket," Anders remarked, "I see they went ahead and helped themselves to our things. I wonder where the rest of it is."

"Probably wherever Julian is," Selise shook her head wearily and let it hang. The book was in his hands already, there was no doubt about that.

"After he has all of Skyhold what? What is he planning?" she whispered.

Anders shook his head.

"Whatever it is, he will have a lot more pull now that he has the book," she sighed.

"We have to get it back. We have to get it back, kill these bastards and get out of here."

Selise shivered, the chill of the cave wall and the metal bars seeped past the distraction of her anxiety and raised cold spasms that rattled her teeth. She was still missing most of her layers of clothing, wearing only the basic smallclothes and the heavy outer layer. The insulating leggings and shirts were left behind, presumably gathered up by Qaris and Kinley and stuffed into a pack. She supposed blood magicking someone into getting dressed was probably a tedious, clumsy process, necessitating shortcuts. And the cells were completely devoid of blankets or a pallet to lay upon or… anything at all other than metal and rock and a single bucket each. The memory of the morning only made her shiver harder. Anders pushed his arms further through the bars, rubbing vigorously over her back. Her eyelids were heavy, and she fought back the urge to cry. All was not lost yet, she told herself. Solas knew and would try to help them, somehow. But short of sending people out to find them, which alone could take weeks, she had no idea how. But unleashing Vengeance at just the right time just might be the answer. It was enough to hang her hopes upon, and the only thing they really had. They didn't have their magic. They didn't have staffs or a blade. They had only each other, and Anders' spirit passenger. It would have to be enough.