Chapter 35

"Hadrianna," Fenris spat at the dead mage at his feet. "She sent these hunters after me, but she wouldn't have done it on her own."

"I was beginning to think the hunters had given up," Gavin stated flatly as he tried to regain his breath. Upon coming face to face with the arrogant Tevinters, he'd immediately lashed out with his magic and hadn't looked back. He'd been angry that Fenris was once again in danger, and this had fueled his use of his magic. For the first time in his life, his magic wasn't causing him headaches or nose bleeds.

"Danarius will never give up hunting me, he's too proud," Fenris growled. "Hadrianna was his apprentice and if she's here it's at his bidding."

"That guy said she could be found in some holding caves?" Sebastian asked, his voice carefully neutral.

"If this bothers you, then you'd better not come with me to face Hadrianna," the elf growled.

"I know you have your reasons for what you did," Sebastian shook his head. "Just because I don't like your choices doesn't mean I will turn my back on you. You're my friend."

"Okay, there's no need for all of us to go with Fenris," Gavin turned to look at the group. "Anders, I would appreciate having you along. Your healing skills are far better than mine and I have a feeling we're going to need them. As she most likely will surround herself with dozens of soldiers in addition to various undead, I could use your shield Aveline, if you're willing."

"I hate dealing with blood mages," Anders grumbled. "But, if you really need me, I'll go."

"I look forward to locking blades with Tevinter slavers," Aveline said, a cold smile curving her lips. She hated having any slavers running around her territory.

Hearing a whine Gavin looked down to see Fang grinning up at him. He smiled and went to one knee in front of the dog. "I'd love to have you along, but you need room to be effective and caves just don't have it. So, what I want you to do is make sure that Varric and the others get back to Kirkwall safely okay?"

Huffing in disappointment, Fang barked once and then plodded over to sit beside Varric. The dwarf chuckled down at the dog and then fixed Hawke with a steady gaze. "Be careful. If this last battle is anything to go by, then you have a hard road ahead of you. Don't want to hear you've gone and gotten yourself killed. Your mother needs you, so don't take any chances."

"Yes, dad," Gavin snorted. Turning his head he looked directly at Fenris, "Lead the way."

Varric silently watched them leave before turning to look at Isabela and Merrill, "Let's get cracking."

After several hours, Gavin and company reached the holding caves. Peering at the dark opening, Gavin felt a shiver run through him. "I have a bad feeling about this," he mumbled.

"What's wrong Hawke?" Sebastian asked in concern.

"Nothing," he shook his head. "Let's just find Hadrianna and deal with her as quickly as possible."

"Let's hope she's still here," Fenris growled and hurried foward, entering the cave without hesitation. Aveline and Anders followed him, with Gavin and Sebastian bringing up the rear.

They hadn't gone very far when they ran into a large group of soldiers led by a mage. Aveline and Fenris dealt with the soldiers, while Sebastian and Gavin dealt with the undead the mage summoned. Gavin felt his lip curl in disgust as the mage surrounded himself with a magic shield. That kind of shield protected you from any and all attacks, but you couldn't do anything, not even cast a heal spell. So it was with great relish that as soon as the shield dissipated, and before the mage could finish preparing another spell, that he yanked the man forward.

"You missed your chance by hiding behind your men," he sneered and then slowly crushed the man.

"I believe that's the last of them," Anders glanced around. "Hey, where's the prickly elf?"

Gavin looked around and spied another door at the far end of the room they were in. He headed towards and then through it and found Fenris on the other side. "You shouldn't get too far ahead of the rest of us." Getting no repsonse he moved closer and then gasped in horror at the sight of a bloody and mangled corpse of a man.

"Witness the legacy of the Magisters," Fenris snarled. "Mages always find a way to gain more power. This is where your brainless friend Merrill is headed."

"Not all mages do that," Gavin whispered, feeling sick to his stomach. He saw the elf give him a strange look which he returned steadily.

"Let's move on, Hadrianna's here somewhere," Fenris growled and stomped off.

Feeling eyes on him, Gavin turned and saw Anders giving him a knowing look. Recalling their conversation by the pond a mere two days ago, he felt a sick feeling settle in his stomach. "He's upset, that's all," he told the other mage.

"If you say so Hawke," Anders answered pithily and moved off.

"What did he mean by that Hawke?" Sebastian stared after the other mage.

"Nothing," Gavin shook his head and hurried after them. The feeling of foreboding he'd felt outside the cave returned stronger than before. He pushed the negative thoughts aside. He trusted Fenris.

They fought a couple small groups before reaching another large room and even larger group of soldiers. Fortunately there was no mage with them this time and so the battle was over with rather quickly. Gavin didn't even need to use his magic once.

"Are you alright?" Fenris was asking.

"I don't understand," a small blond elf woman cried. "She's killed everyone, even Papa."

"She?" Gavin asked as he came over. "You mean Hadrianna?"

"The Magister said she needed more power," she nodded. "She was afraid."

"She should be," Fenris sneered, his eyes gleaming with malice.

Looking around, she realized that everyone was dead, killed by the elf and the others in front of her. "You're the one she said would try to kill her?" She hesitantly took a step forward, "That would make you my new master."

"What?" Fenris stepped back in shock. "No, I'm not," he held his hands out in denial.

"But, I have nowhere to go," she protested, tears forming in her eyes. "I can cook, I can clean. Please."

"Wait for us outside these caves," Gavin told her. "When we're done here, I'll take you to Kirkwall with me. I have a big house and could use help cleaning it."

"Oh thank you, thank you so much," she beamed at him and then hurried away.

"So, you like the idea of having a slave then," Fenris snarled as he turned to glare at Hawke.

"I gave her a job Fenris," Gavin snapped. "What's the matter with you?" he growled.

"Oh, sorry," the elf muttered, not sounding sorry in the least. "Let's find Hadrianna and be done here."

Watching him go, Gavin felt a deep hurt beginning to well inside him. "He's just upset, he doesn't mean it," he whispered softly to himself, wishing he believed it. He saw Anders shoot him another look and this time looked away and down at his feet.

Aveline looked at Fenris' retreating back, glanced between Anders and Hawke, and then frowned thoughtfully. There was something going on here and she didn't like not knowing what, sensing that it was hurting Hawke in some way. "Are you okay Hawke?"

Gavin looked up at her and flashed a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Everything's fine. Let's keep going."

Sebastian frowned as he watched his friend walk away. He looked at Aveline, "I'm worried about the strain this venture is putting on Fenris and Hawke."

"And there's something going on between Hawke and Anders, something that this place is bringing to the fore," she replied as she hurried after the others.

Sebastian fell in with her and nodded, "You're right. Anders has seemed rather smug since we encountered that mutilated corpse. Almost like he expected the tension that now exists between Fenris and Hawke." He frowned as a thought occured to him, "I don't think this is going to end well."

"I hope you're wrong, your highness," Aveline gave him a hard look. "I like Fenris, but Hawke is like family to me. I would hate to have to take sides."

"We'll cross that bridge if and when we have to, not before," he told her.

They caught up with the rest and fell silently in behind them, both watching the two men in question closely. It was obvious to both of them that there was a new tension between the two, but before they could speculate further they ran smack into the Magister and her men. Not only were there a couple dozen soldiers, but several shades and skeletons. A lengthy battle ensued.

Gavin grit his teeth as the fight went on and on. He'd never battled a mage as powerful as Hadrianna and he began to doubt their ability to defeat her. She seemed able to conjure wave after wave of undead with ease. He felt his own magic begin to take it's toll on him and knew that if they didn't get the upper hand soon, then he would be forced to rely solely on his sword skills. And those seemed a weak last resort as it was. He found himself praying to the Maker for help, something he'd never felt the need to do before.

Fenris was thriving on the thrill of knowing that he was so close to destroying someone who'd made his life a living hell. Rage filled him and hatred fueled him. His markings glowing a bright blue, he moved through the horde of demons the witch sent his way like they were nothing. He hurled taunts at her as he cut them down. He laughed at her attempts to intimidate him. Then, after what seemed to be hours, her magic began to fail her even as he renewed his own powers. Moving swiftly, he cut a vicious stroke at her which she barely dodged. However, it was enough to cause the Magister to lose her balance and collapse.

Panting in exhaustion, to weak and drained to get up, Hadrianna stared up in horror as the elf raised his sword to finish her off. "Wait, you don't want me dead!" she cried.

Gavin, gasping for breath, moved forward so he could better hear what they were saying. He leaned against the wall near them, feeling as though without it he would fall down. He heard Fenris sneer that nothing would please him more. Even though he would have liked the opportunity to question the woman about Danarius, he didn't want to interfere. Truth was, after the way Fenris had been acting, he was afraid of to say or do anything that would strain things between them even more.

"You have a sister," Hadrianna hissed out. "Spare me and I will tell you where to find her."

Fenris jerked back in shock, his sword falling to his side. He didn't know what to say. He glanced over his shoulder to see that the others were also staring at the woman on the ground in surprise. Looking back at Hadrianna, he sheathed his sword and moved to stand over her. Bending down, he held her gaze, "Tell me and I'll let you go."

"I have your word," she whispered.

Without hesitation, he lied to her face, "Yes, you have my word."

"She's serving a magister in Qarinus," she breathed out. And then she met the cold green eyes and knew she was doomed.

With a sneer of contempt, Fenris thrust his glowing hand into her chest and ripped her heart out. Tossing it aside and spitting on the corpse, he turned away to head back to the surface. "We're done here."

Gavin stared between the dead woman and Fenris, "But, you gave your word."

Fenris turned and spat on the ground, "So what? She's a filthy mage and deserves no such respect." He waived his arms around, "You saw what she did here. This is what all mages do when given the opportunity to be free to do as they wish."

"Fenris, I'm a mage and so is-"

"I know what you are," Fenris interrupted, sneering at him. His anger and rage blinded him to the pain he was inflicting on the mage before him. "What do I care for a promise made to a mage? All I care about is the fact that I finally got to crush this bitch's heart." When all that met this statement was a dead silence, he finally looked around and saw the other staring at him in shock. Unable to deal with anything else, he turned away from them and left.

Gavin watched, mouth open in shock, as the elf walked away. He doubled over with a hand against his chest as a sharp pain lanced through him. He barely heard the others expressions of concern as he met Anders sympathetic gaze. "You were right," he whispered.

"I'm sorry Hawke, I wish I'd been wrong," Anders shook his head sadly.

"What's wrong Hawke? Where are you hurt?" Sebastian hurried to the mages side.

"My heart," Gavin whispered. "He just ripped it out." He turned and staggered back the way they came. "Let's go home. I want to go home."

Not knowing what else to say or do, the others silently followed him out.