Chapter 4: Thedas
It was dark and damp.
That was her first thought when consciousness began to creep back in. Wherever she was, it was dimly lit because her vision was becoming clear enough for her to realize and annoyingly damp because she was sitting on the cold floor where a thin sheet of wetness seeped in her clothing.
Someone had changed her. Her clothes were enchanted to remain at a certain temperature no matter what the weather was like.
What happened to my clothes?!
She shifted and realized she was chained up completely. Thick heavy chains kept both her arms and legs conveniently tied together. It would be a simple matter to escape, a simple non-verbal wandless Alohamora and she would be free. The four-armed guards with live steel on the other hand, may or may not prove to be an issue if her core was as low as it felt.
Before she could decide whether or not to act, two women rushed into the room. There was a red-head draped in a robe of some sort that reminded her vividly of her grandmother. She had only one precious photograph of her maternal grandparents and this young woman looked eerily like her grandmother in her youth. Save for the cold look in her eyes: her grandmother looked like summer personified. This woman may have been the winter winds in comparison.
The other woman, well quite frankly she was in awe of her at first glance. A female warrior that commanded respect through sheer presence alone. The ability to do so was rare and fewer still were women, so set in the ways of a patriarchal society that they either didn't think to go against the norm or thought themselves incapable.
"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now." The warrior woman said, her voice surprisingly vulnerable. "The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead; except for you."
Hariel stared at the woman for a moment, she had learned of the Conclave from both Solas and Wisdom but having been in the bloody Fade the entire time, it was literally impossible for her to have killed anyone let alone the entire Temple of Sacred Ashes and all its inhabitants. Admittedly, she was attempted to say that people die all the time, but that would likely get her a sword in her gut.
"You think I killed those people?" she asked softly, her voice hoarse and throat dry. How long had she been unconscious?
"Explain this." The woman demanded, roughly grabbing her left wrist and displaying the magic scar that glowed a nauseating Avada Kadavra green. It hadn't been that vibrant in the Fade, though admittedly nothing was that vibrant there.
"I can't…I don't know where it comes from or what it is." For the most part, it was true. She could speculate all day, theorize and such, but she'd rather not.
"You're lying!" The woman claimed, grabbing her shoulder roughly and shaking it. Quite the intimidating woman this one. The other woman pulled her off and made her step back a few steps.
"We need her, Cassandra." Ah, so her name was Cassandra.
"Why am I in chains?" she decided to ask, directing the question at the red-head. She seemed to be a fair bit calmer and less likely to skewer her in anger.
The red head decided to ignore her question, "Do you remember how this happened? How this all began?"
Well yes, she most certainly did but from what she gathered from practically everyone she had acquainted herself with in the Fade was to not speak of it unless you were speaking to someone you trusted completely. So many mortals feared and misunderstood spirits, demons, and the Fade itself to want to destroy whatever associated with it. This very war they were fighting was a sure-fire example of it. Having no desire to be harmed by the swords (because yes, she had already tried that method to die and all it was, was bloody painful) she spoke carefully.
"I-I remember black and green…it was everywhere. There…there was a woman crying out for help in Orlesian." Thank goodness Wisdom forced her to remember the proper language names, she nearly said French.
"A woman?" Both Cassandra and the red-head were extremely interested at that bit. Should she talk about the cousin-look-alike? Her gut said no.
"She- she said to warn them."
"Warn who?" Cassandra pushed angrily.
"I don't know. There were things chasing us, and then…she was gone."
The red-head looked like she wanted to say more, but Cassandra touched her shoulder and started to lead her out. "Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the rift." The both looked at her with great suspicion and images of her burning at the stake struck her.
Leliana moved through the door and disappeared just as Cassandra roughly grabbed her and raised her to her feet. Quickly unlocking the chains on her ankles, she had to ask, "What did happen?"
Cassandra hesitated for a moment. "It is better to show you."
The walk out the dungeon was brisk and silent. She could feel the glares of the soldiers that followed them in the rear and wondered just how bad Thedas was affected by the earthquake that she felt in the Fade. The door opened and she was surprised at the bright white exterior that presented itself to her.
Snow, snow everywhere.
Bloody hell it was cold. Even with the clothing they had given her she was shivering. She had admittedly spoiled herself over the years since had been one of the richest magical alive back on Earth. Even with the exuberant amount of spending she had done during a phase of grief, there was a ridiculous amount of gold left in her bag.
A bag which thankfully remained tied around her neck under a notice-me-not charm and tied to her magical signature so it would always return to her and would open for none but her. The amount of research gone into that last spell would have made Hermione jealous. It was a literal year of weaving magic into the beaded bag without compromising the undetectable extension charm and seeping her magical signature to it. Complex and utterly exhausting but worth it considering where she currently found herself in.
Beside the snow, there was that hideous green pervading every shadow. Looking up, she could easily say she had never seen anything like it. There was a literal tear in the bloody sky. Things were falling out of it and destroying the landscape around them, yet thankfully the town remained untouched for the most part.
The veil. She stared at the tear and understood it wasn't the sky that had torn, but the Veil that separated the Physical world to the Fade.
Dear sweet merciful Death… She stared at the tear with an unmeasurable amount of shock. The things dropping from the tear…they had to be spirits. 'Spirits are a reflection of what they surround themselves by.' That's what Solas and the Spirits she conversed with all agreed upon. With so much fear and hatred…they'll be corrupted.
They're turning into demons.
In that moment she felt fear for the Spirits she met in the Fade and hoped with all her might they were safe and far away from the tear.
"We call it the Breach." Cassandra said shaking her out of her thoughts. "It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger each passing hour. It's not the only such rift," she explained, "just the largest. All were caused at the explosion of the conclave."
She stared at the tear in the Veil, "I've never heard of an explosion being able to do that…"
"This one did." The warrior said harshly, "Unless we act, the Breach will grow until it swallows the world."
Suddenly, the tear in her hand started to vibrate before sending crutiatus-worthy pain waves throughout her body. The pain was so unexpected she cried out, and she valiantly started focusing her meager magical reserves to quell the violent magic coursing through her from the tear.
"Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads and it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn't much time."
Killing her? She stared at the tear in her hand in wonder. Was it truly killing her or would she simply die a painful death and be brought back soon after? Even if that wasn't the case, that didn't mean everyone else had to die alongside her. She wasn't fond of genocide or mass killings of any kind. People died, that's what they did true, but not like this.
"If I help you, will you let me go?" She asked instead of agreeing to help them blindly.
Clearly that wasn't the right thing to say to the woman. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at her. "I can promise you a trial. Nothing more." She said.
Hariel knew that if there was to be a Trial, she would be executed either way. Medieval world with little regard to anything of the magical kind? Yes, she was certain they would swing the sword faster than allow the partaking of a legitimate trial. She sighed internally, she would have to escape after this mess was dealt with. Perhaps she could find Solas in this mess and ask for his help. He had offered to help her once she was free from the Fade but these were rather strange circumstances.
The woman lead her through the village where every single citizen looked at her as though she were the most disgusting vile thing they had ever encountered. Their hatred toward her was palpable in the very air she breathed.
Not new, but still unpleasant she thought as she looked over everyone she passed. She had been glorified and loved; condemned and hated by people more than once.
"They have decided your guilt, they need it." Cassandra said, "The people of Haven mourn our most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers, it was a chance for peace between Mages and Templars. She brought the leaders together: now they are dead."
"The Most Holy? They think I killed the bloody Pope?" she muttered under her breath shaking her head. She didn't believe in any "God" or "Creator" and honestly laughed at those who did. She firmly believed that Jesus Christ was just a Wizard that managed to fool a bunch of muggles into thinking he was Gods son. Magic could turn water to wine (Seamus finally figured it out after decades) and she had been resurrected no less than two dozen times. All unwilling, but the fact remained the same.
Still, even if she laughed at those who believed in such trivialities, never once had she tried to force her beliefs on others. Never once laughed in their faces or scorned their beliefs.
Never would she ever kill a figure of any religious belief let alone one as important as the Pope.
Not that any of them knew her well enough to know this, but still.
"Open the Gate! We must go to the rift!" Cassandra screamed to the soldiers guarding the gate with a glare sent at her.
"Yes Lady Seeker." They both said in unison before opening the gates. Cassandra turned at released the chains on her wrists and handed them to one of the guards.
"Come. Your mark must be tested on something smaller than the Breach."
Shaking her wrists lightly, Hariel followed the woman on the trail. Sickly green littered in the shadows of everything and civilians ran past them to get to Haven. To them, the world was ending. Through a tear in the Sky that rained demons. She could understand their panic well enough even though she also knew the "demons" coming to help the Apocalypse were innocent in this whole ordeal as well.
As they made their way up toward the forward camp, Hariel needed to know their side of it. "…What did happen at the Conclave?"
Cassandra hesitated for a moment before answering, "No one knows. There was an explosion and everything- the Temple of Sacred Ashes was gone…the soldiers that found you- they say that you stepped out of a rift, then passed out."
"…I see." She said in lieu of anything else.
They came to a bridge where a group of soldiers were conversing in harsh tones before a blast from the Breach destroyed the bridge, sending the men, Casandra and herself hurtling to the frozen river below.
The landing on the harsh and unforgiving frozen body of water was nothing but unpleasant and painful. She had landed on her side, and groaned at the bruises forming. Lifting her head, she was welcome to the sight of Casandra drawing her blade at a grotesque creature snarling and gliding on the iced floor. Sharp claw like fingers, melting-like features and a wail that was enough to make her wince at the decibel it reached- yes, she could understand the fear that these Demons instilled in everyone they met.
Death would not be painless in their hands.
As she was picking herself up from the ground, a green portal like cloud formed in front of her and another demon identical to the one Casandra was fighting formed in front of her, arms primed to kill her where she half-laid.
Jumping to her feet and a few steps away from the Demon, Hariel turned to Casandra in hopes for some sort of support but found none as the woman focused harshly on her opponent. Wincing internally, Hariel tried to focus on her meager magical reserves and found them entirely lacking. She could probably cast a weak Lumos, but nothing more. Looking around for something, anything, that could be used to defend herself, she spotted a sword by one of the Soldier's bodies, his lifeless eyes staring at her as she glanced at him.
Without hesitating, Hariel grasped the sword in hand and parried the attack that came toward her head. The demon staggered back just enough for her to press her attack, though the creature managed to lay a scratch along her forearm that burned as it bled.
Just as Cassandra destroyed her opponent, Hariel had managed to send hers back to the Fade where it could reform eventually to what it once was.
"I believe that's the last of them." Hariel commented as she moved toward Cassandra, her blade tilted to the ground.
"Drop your weapon, NOW!" Cassandra ordered her with her blade drawn threateningly. Hariel blinked at the woman surprised.
"You can't be serious." She said deadpan. "There are Demons falling out of the sky, and you expect me to follow you without a weapon to defend myself? No, not happening. I am keeping this sword until this is all over and maybe even after." She said firmly tightening her grasp on the leather hilt of the basic blade.
Cassandra looked at though she were ready to argue but sneered lightly when she realized Hariel was right.
"You are correct." She said as though she had swallowed a lemon, "I cannot protect you, but should you attempt to flee or harm anyone other than the demons I will slay you where you stand." Death have her, the woman was as intimidating as Moody was when she had first met the man.
Nodding, they made their way further up the mountain, destroying demons as they came across them with as much efficiency as two distrustful people could have whilst working together. Which is to say poorly- Hariel and Cassandra both were wounded lightly from the small skirmishes they had.
Soon enough they came to a set of frozen stairs where sounds of metal clashing reverberated around them.
"Come!" Cassandra said running up the stairs now, "We must help them!"
"Help who?" Hariel called out as she followed the woman running up the stairs. When they reached the top, Cassandra didn't hesitate to join the fight. She scanned the fighting area briefly, focusing mostly on the small acidic green portal in the air above it with fascination. This must be a Rift that Cassandra had spoken of.
There was a yelp of pain that startled her back to the present, and she moved to join the fight, cleaving whatever demon made their way into the path of her blade. The battle was brief, but bloody, as two of the soldiers were slain and laid dead in the blood-soaked snow. When all the demons were killed, a hand grasped her left wrist tightly, causing her eyes to widen as she realized just who held her.
"Quickly! Before more come through!" Solas, it was Solas, he was here!
She didn't understand what happened, or how the magic exactly interacted with the Rift, but as her palm was thrust toward the portal it pulsed harshly before disappearing completely with a blast of green smoke that dissipated quickly.
She stared at the empty air and then back at her hand, "What did you do?" she asked him her eyes wide and confused.
Solas just leaned against his staff and as calmly as always said, "I did nothing, the credit is yours."
"You mean this scar." She corrected staring at the magic that clung to her.
"Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized that the mark might also be able to close the rifts that have opened in the breaches wake and it seems I was correct." He sounded rather smug, though she could see that she was the only one to catch on it. The others clearly didn't know Solas all that well.
"Meaning it could also close the Breach itself." Cassandra said stepping closer to them.
"Possibly." He conceded. "It seems you hold the key to our salvation." She mentally snarled at that. She was no savior; never again, and certainly not to this place.
"Good to know. Here I thought we'd be ass deep in Demons forever." The voice came from behind her and Hariel turned to look at a short man (Dwarf most likely her mind supplied) with a rather stunning crossbow and impressive amount of chest hair spilling out from his v-neck cloak.
"And you are?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Ah, Varric Tethras: rogue, story-teller, and occasional unwanted tag-a-long." He introduced with a small wink toward Cassandra at the last bit.
"Are you with the Chantry? Or…?" she asked curious. Admittedly her knowledge of Dwarves in general was rather lacking. Were they Andrastrian? Or did they all follow the beliefs of the Creators?
Solas actually chuckled at that, "Was that a serious question?"
"Technically, I'm a prisoner. Just like you." He answered fixing the sleeves on his cloak.
"Ah, well birds of a feather and all that. Nice to meet you, Varric." She said with a small nod.
"You may reconsider that stance in time." Solas said in his usual droll voice.
"Aw, I'm sure we'll become great friends in the Valley, Chuckles."
"Absolutely not." Cassandra interrupted firmly, "Your help is appreciated, Varric, but-"
"Have you been in the Valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me." Well, the Dwarf wasn't wrong but the Seeker certainly didn't want to admit such. It was almost funny how she huffed at him in annoyance.
"I am Solas, if there are to be introductions." Solas said confusing her. Did he not remember her? That wasn't right, the elf had a sharp look in his eyes and after a moment she understood. For whatever reason (one she was sure to get from him later) he didn't want their relationship to be known. "I am pleased to see you still live." There was sincerity in his voice at that, and she knew he had some sort of hand in her recuperation.
She nodded to him, making sure neither Cassandra nor the dwarf could see her eyes narrowing at him questioningly.
"He means," Varric put in, "'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.'"
"You seem to know a lot about this thing." Hariel motioned to her hand where the sickly green pulsed lightly.
"Solas is an apostate. Well versed in such matters." Cassandra said as though it explained everything. As though just because you had magic you understood everything that was remotely magical. She wanted to scoff at the ignorance. Magic wasn't a fix-it-all ability. It wasn't a life-hack or anything of the sort. For those who thought so, were known to be the most against magic or quick to put blame on it for everything that went wrong around them.
"Technically, all mages are now apostates Cassandra." Solas supplied dryly. "I admit that in my travels I have more experience with the Fade and the magic it entails. Far more than a mere Circle mage. I came to offer my assistance in closing the Breach for it threatens all regardless of origin."
She nodded in understanding. Those who did nothing about the problem, were a part of the problem.
"A sensible attitude." She said lightly.
"Indeed. Though it seems to be in short supply in the current circumstances." He sneered lightly. "Cassandra, you should know that the magic involved is unlike any I've seen. Whilst your prisoner is a mage, I sincerely doubt any single mage could have the power to bring this upon us."
"Understood." Cassandra acquiesced. A part of Hariel wanted to blink in surprise, but forced herself to remain blank faced. Solas clearly had some respect from the Seeker, enough so that his word was accepted so easily. At the very least, he was defending her innocence. "Let us continue on, we must reach the forward camp."
The three of them nodded at the woman slightly before moving to the opening toward the river bank as the main road was completely blocked off. She gave one small glance to the soldiers that laid dead on the floor and hoped they found peace in Death's embrace.
Solas who noticed laid a hand on her shoulder lightly. "There is little time to waste, but they will be cared for by others who pass through."
Nodding, Hariel moved down to the river bank and closer to the Breach. Whatever was to happen next, at the very least she was not alone. Solas's magic intertwined with her aura lightly, and she felt reassured. He wouldn't leave her, he would keep his word, and they would figure what was to happen later.
'Close the Breach, and then we can leave.' She thought to herself lightly as she stayed close to Solas' side. 'How hard can it possibly be?'
If she knew what was to come, she would have been smarter than jinxing herself.