"We can't do this alone. We're going to have to find someone who we can trust and who can fight alongside us," she said glancing out at the shimmering water.

"Wait! I think I may know someone who can help. He'd be perfect!" Haiden jumped to his feet and grabbed his staff, swinging it to his back where he elegantly strapped it in place. "Come on. We should be able to find him quickly enough."

Sicilia followed earnestly. He led her away from the coast and headed towards the Eastern gate. Just before the gate, Haiden turned down a thin alleyway between two stalls. Behind the buildings, there was a small row of old houses. He stopped for a moment and looked at each one until he found the one that he recognized. On the post of a rundown house, a set of three bird claws hung from a cord.

Knocking gently, he took a deep breath. A woman, about Sicilia's age, answered the door. Her red hair was knotted tightly in a bun. She had on a simple tunic, but wore a dagger strapped to her hip. "Can I help you?" she said sternly. A strong smell of tobacco billowed from the doorway.

"I'm looking for Markl."

She paused, "He hasn't been here for some time now. Try the tavern two streets back. I've seen him there a few times." The last part of her sentence was muffled as she rolled her eyes and shut the door.

The streets of the poorer areas of Dairsmuid seemed to be more of a maze, but Haiden appeared to know them well. Still unsure of their destination, Sis stayed close behind. The tavern they reached was small. At first, she thought that it was closed, but the door opened as a middle-aged man stumbled out. It's not even sundown yet, old man.

Haiden held the door open as she entered. The darkness blinded her for a moment, but her eyes slowly adjusted. She looked at Haiden as his eyes flickered around the room. He lit up as his eyes made contact with a man in a far dark corner.

Strolling towards him, she noticed his long stark-white hair; it wasn't near as long as Haiden's, but it looked just as silken. Two braids cascaded down one shoulder, longer than the rest of his hair. The expression on his face seemed tired, almost sad. Sicilia could tell that this man was tall even as he sat hunched over his mug of ale. He wore no shirt, but his right arm was covered in heavy metal armor, which extended in claws past his fingertips.

"Markl, long time no see." Haiden smiled as he leaned against the chair next to him.

The man glanced up. His light grey eyes caught Haiden's and his narrow eyes widened ever so slightly as he stoon and placed a heavy hand on Haiden's shoulder. "Haiden? I never thought I'd see the likes of you in this place." Sis was right; this man was tall. He towered a good head above Haiden.

"Well, I came looking for you. This is Sicilia. I'm helping her with something that sounded like it would interest you, but we need to talk in private."

"Sure. My place isn't far from here." He laid down a few coppers for his ale.

Markl's place wasn't far from the tavern. The place certainly wasn't the sturdiest of buildings, but Sis was certain it was better than sleeping outside. She could see a few places amongst the floorboards that had been long rotted out. She took a seat on one of the stumps that served as a chair.

Markl smiled. "So, exactly how interesting is it, and how much are you paying?" Judging from his appearance, she would've expected him to be a more stoic character, but his smile was warm and inviting. Sicilia recounted what she had told Haiden earlier. Markl looked to Haiden as if to ask if it was true. Haiden simply nodded.

"There's no way we could do this on our own, but I have nothing to pay you with. I don't doubt that this will be painstakingly difficult and, honestly, I don't even know what the damned book is."

"It's the Tome of Koslun." This statement caught her off guard. "The way you describe the book, considering that there's someone after it, and the Arishok is in Dairsmuid with the army tells me that it has to be so important they would risk their life for it. That tells me it's the Tome of Koslun."

"What is it?" Haiden seemed just as confused as Sicilia. She knew a lot about Qunari culture and religion, but even she'd never heard of it.

"It's the Qun's most sacred scripture. It was written by the founder of the Qun, Ashkaari Koslun. I only know about it because of my father." Sicilia seemed confused at the latter. "My father was a priest in the Qun; at least, he was before he became Tal'vashoth. It was only because of my mother that he became Tal'vashoth. He fell in love with a human who did not want to convert. It's looked down upon for a Qunari to fall in love with a human, but for her to not be of the Qun was just unacceptable. I've been trying to convert for years, but they will not accept me because my father was Tal'vashoth and therefore, so am I. If there's any way to prove myself worthy of the Qun, I'll do it and this could be it."

Now, it makes sense. His hair, his eyes, his build. It's because he's half-Qunari. Sicilia thought to herself. Gwen would have a fit if she saw him. She laughed in spite of herself. "Well, it looks like we have a lot of work to do, then. Any ideas as to where we should start?"

"I think it's best if we find that woman you saw before. If she has anything to do with it, that seems like the best place to start," Haiden said with a smile. "Although, the only place we know to look is that warehouse. Do you think the three of us could get through there unscathed?"

Glacing at the two men, "Get through? It's possible. Unscathed? Probably not. Having a mage makes things a little easier, but there's only three of us. If we do this, it'll have to be quick and we'll have to be as stealthy as possible. We'll need to scout the area, find all entrances, and watch for how many people come in and out of the place before we make a move. I've slept most of the day so I can take watch tonight. Markl, how sneaky can you be?"

"Not very. I'm a bit large to try and hide anything," he laughed. Sicilia was starting to like his humor.

"Okay, Haiden, you can take watch tomorrow. We'll meet at the coast tomorrow evening and figure out what to do from there. Does that sound good?"

"Sounds good to me." Haiden's eyes were wide with excitement. This guy loves adventure; I can tell.

"Do either one of you know of any underground access or tunnels near there?"

"I can't think of any. I only know of one place, but it stops before it gets to the warehouse. I think there's only access above ground." Markl knew a lot about the town layout.

"Good. I don't want any surprises; a bunch of guys jumping out of nowhere is not my idea of fun." She giggled at the thought. Gwen would've joked about the insinuation of her comment. Luckily for her, these guys did not.

Climbing to the spot on a nearby roof had proved to be difficult. Once Sis was satisfied that she wouldn't be seen, she settled down to begin her vigil. The roof of the warehouse had only one access point. She noticed that, every once in a while, someone would make their way out the same door she had seen the pirate enter. This person, she assumed was a guard, would scan the area quickly and head back inside.

I could have Markl get rid of him soundlessly. She noted the amount of time the person spent outside and inside. Other than these obvious events, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. And still no sign of that woman. She yawned; the sun had risen.

"Anything particularly interesting?" said a low voice next to her.

She jumped, "Damn it, Haiden!" She tried to keep her voice at a whisper. The streets were still quiet and she didn't want to draw attention. "Please don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry; can't help it." His smile gained her forgiveness.

"Nothing too much. There's roof access, but I haven't seen anyone come up all night. There's a guard that comes out every once in awhile and checks the street, but he doesn't stay outside long."

"Alright. I'm going to take a roof closer to the back of the building and see what goes on there. You should go get some rest. I'll see you at the coast later." Haiden waited until he saw her round the corner before he climbed down to find another spot.

The sun was high before he began to hear a noise below. His view of a back entrance was perfect. It was far enough away from the street shops that he could hear a knock on the door. A man wearing a dark cloak waited outside; he seemed paranoid and was constantly looking over his shoulders. When the door finally opened, he only handed over a large sack of coin and left. The rest of the afternoon was silent. Haiden left his spot and headed to meet his companions.

A/N:

Tal'vashoth - "True Grey." Those who go against the Qun or abandon the religion.

Yay, Markl! I love this guy! For some reason, I combined Agni (a character from the anime, Black Butler) with a Qunari and he is what popped out. Yeah, I'm weird, I know, but he's awesome.