"Cassandra!"

Evelyn sat up heart pounding, lungs gasping for breath as she tried to recall the vivid dream that had forced her awake. She winced as her entire body protested the abrupt movement. Instantly a hooded shadow appeared, ghostly white hands pushing her back to the floor gentle but firm.

"Shhh do not move so fast Inquisitor, your injuries have not yet healed."

The rogue shook her head in confusion. "What injuries? Where are we? What happened to the rift?"

Leliana studied the young noble even as she passed the latest correspondence to the agent waiting just beyond the tent. For days she had sat here watching their leader sleep; her body twitching from the dreams she seemed unable to escape. More than once Leliana had moved to wake her only to hear the echo of Solas's voice telling her to let the woman sleep through the nightmares, that sleep at this stage was more potent than any potion he had on hand to give. She gazed into the impatient swirl of green that stared back at her as she considered how best to formulate her answer.

"I have spoken at length with Solas and he agrees, the mark is spreading. We have retreated within the cave we cleared. Varric, Blackwall and Solas remain ahead of us should any of the demons we failed to kill make another attempt on your life."

The spymaster paused, watching as the younger woman looked down at her tightly bound arm.

"As to what happened to the rift, I know only what I saw. I saw you stand in defiance as demons landed all around us. I saw you fall as the hole in the sky pulsed and pulled at the mark on your hand. I saw you stand and through the sheer force of your will the world stood still…."

"Then why is the rift still here?"

Evelyn cut through the telling, uncomfortably aware of her spymaster's longest chosen profession. The way the woman weaved together words… The rogue sighed angrily, her impatience giving way to impertinence.

"It all sounds great until you realize that in the end I still failed. Is that how they shall sing the song of my ending?"

Leliana felt a wry smile tug at her lips as she shrugged. "Who says they will sing about you at all Inquisitor? There were never any guarantees to this course of action. Cassandra and I took a chance, one I know both of us still believe in."

Evelyn huffed and turned her attention to the rest of her injuries. "No song? Well at least with Varric here I'll get a book."

"Did I hear my name? Good you're awake. You gave the sister here quite the scare."

Evelyn's chapped lips hurt from the wide smile she flashed the dwarf who had just entered the tent. It was good to know that the rest of the party had escaped injury unlike the last time she had failed in her leadership.

"Varric! Tell my spymaster that I'll at least have a book at the end of all this to boast my accomplishments. She doesn't think they will even afford me a tavern lay when this is all over."

Varric shook his head, " I'm not getting in the middle of that argument! I heard you yell our Seeker's name and wanted to see how her own mission went, a good writer keeps records of events… even those involving scary surlu women. Yet… Where are the growls, the loathing stares… Did she step away?"

Evelyn felt her cheeks flush, remembering that she had awoken with the Cassandra's name on her lips. The feeling of foreboding that had weighed so heavily upon her wakening returned. She shrugged the feeling aside and shook her head.

"I was dreaming…"

Varric smirked unable to resist needling the young leader. He had pegged the noble's fascination with the snarling warrior early on; a fascination proven right when she had asked him to write a book just for her fellow warrior. He had not missed the looks between the two either. He turned and shot a sly grin towards his fellow rogues, his voice taking on a innocent tone.

"Do you dream of the seeker often then?"

The Inquisitor scoffed, "No!" Seeking a diversion she turned to look at the spymaster. "Though speaking of… Have we received any word from Seeker Pentaghast and the success of her mission?"

Leliana shook her head, "No. There has been no word from Caer Oswin."

She watched as the Herald of Andraste frowned and listened as her and the dwarf traded friendly insults back and forth. She too was starting to worry. It had been little over a week since they had left Skyhold. Knowing Cassandra as she did, the seeker would have set off immediately after their own departure. The journey to the fortress would have taken a maximum of four days and Leliana could not imagine that it would take longer than a day at best for the seeker to ferret out what was happening within its walls. They had talked extensively about this mission and Cassandra had reassured her that she would send word once the situation there was contained.

If something has happened… No. Leliana rejected the very thought. She had witnessed the former Right Hand in battle time and time again and had never seen the other woman fall. Cassandra was always coldly calculating when under attack and rarely reckless with the lives of others. Thoughtfully, Leliana slipped soundlessly from the confines of the tent and pulled an agent aside, her tone brokering no argument.

"I want eyes on Caer Oswin. Send our swiftest rider immediately."

"Yes Sister Nightingale. Right away!"

Leliana watched as the man scurried to scrawl out the directive and looked back at the tent, brow furrowing as her mind worked out all the reasons as to why the seeker had not yet sent word. Maker preserve them all if something had happened.

Lucius strode over to the collapsed Qunari and spat at the giant as he rolled him over with his boot. The rise and fall of the massive chest confirmed that the warrior was still alive; the snores rising from his slackened jaw proving the effectiveness of Calpurnia's sleeping spell.

"Disgusting ox man."

He turned to the woman standing within the shadows, "Did our master say what to do with these two? We have not yet attempted to subject the Qunari to the lyrium. They are powerful warriors without its aid, with it they could be unstoppable."

Calpernia moved her eyes from the Qunari to the elf that slept only inches away and then back to the Lord Seeker, careful to conceal her distaste for the man.

"Our orders were to capture the seeker and bring her back for questioning. Our master said nothing of her companions."

She paused throwing the Lord Seeker a pointed look, "a task made more difficult by your meddling."

Lucius shrugged aside the judgemental tone of the tall woman and smirked at the Tevinter mage in front of him.

"You do not know Cassandra as I do. This is a woman who lives to battle. Look. Even now, bound with multiple head injuries and under your spell she fights still."

Calpernia turned her attention to the twitching warrior that sat at her feet. She watched as armored muscles visibly tensed, arms straining against the coiled rope that held them to the seeker's sides. A part of her admired the visible tenacity the other woman possessed; such singular dedication to purpose was rare. It was a shame that this warrior could not be turned to further Corypheus's goals, but Calpernia knew such a thing would never happen. She shook her head and held out her hand, muttering the spell the dark magister had taught her.

The portal opened before her slowly and she nodded to the Lord Seeker; watching carefully as he grabbed the back of his fellow seeker's armor and dragged her towards the magical gate. Calpernia let the two pass before turning back to the warrior's fallen companions. Waving her hand she ended her spell and stepped across the threshold of the portal. Overall she was pleased; her plan had worked better than expected. Despite her distaste for the Lord Seeker, his input and knowledge of the former Right Hand had been instrumental in her capture. Corypheus would be pleased indeed. Closing the portal Calpernia stepped through to the other side.

The Iron Bull groaned. He felt much like he did when he spent the night drinking his Charger's under the table but he could not recall his bed ever feeling so hard. He pushed his hand out, surprised to feel cold stone beneath his palm. He opened his eye, the fog of sleep fading as he took in his surroundings. A soft voice drew his attention and the Qunari turned to see Cole sliding his hands against the far wall, his voice echoing eerily in the darkness.

"No. No. I cannot hear her. They were right here. Right here. The wall opened and...nothing, she is gone. Gone. Gone."

The Iron Bull rose unsteadily, his voice hoarse from disuse. "You're not making sense. Who is gone?"

Cole turned, his hands gripping his oversized brim pulling it down around his ears as he relived the memory. "She, she, Cassandra is gone. I heard. I saw, but the Lord Seeker confused me. He was flesh and then he was not. Pain. Her friend is gone and she is angry. She doesn't notice the man. It hurts again... Confusion and then silence. They took her."

The Iron Bull growled and reached forward, shaking the spirit slightly. "Where did they take her Cole?"

The spirit boy shook his head, eyes shifting towards the wall once more. "The wall opened. It was like magic but seeker's can't use magic can they? It must have been the lady; the lady with the cold smile."

The Qunari grunted, releasing the boy. Listening to Cole always hurt his head but he had caught on to the gist of what the spirit was saying. All that mattered was that the enemy had Cassandra. His blood burned at the thought and ran hotter still with the knowledge that he had somehow failed. Red had told him to watch the seeker's back, to never let her out of his sight. He had laughed, joking that Cassandra needed nobody to watch over her but had promised the spymaster he would. Bull cringed; all it had taken was a single moment in the heat of battle and he had forgotton that promise. He had turned his back for one moment, one moment to attack a hidden enemy and…

"Grrrrrrrr!"

Fist clenched, he slammed it against the stone once and then again; pausing as the sound of whispering reached his ears. Turning he saw the wide pale eyes studying him from beneath the brim of that overlarge hat, the boy's words echoing in the empty hall.

"There is nobody left here. We should go. Tell someone. You blame yourself but you are not to blame. They will see that."

Iron Bull growed again, resisting the overwhelming urge to clench and shake the boy/spirit. Instead he walked to where the slender elf still lay and scooped her under one arm as he pointed at Cole.

"Stay out of my thoughts and keep up boy. We are going back and Red will want to speak with you."

"Does it still pain you?"

Evelyn tilted her head, looking away from her unbandaged arm and into the inquisitive eyes that bored back into her. Even now, after all this time, she could not shake the feeling that the elven apostate was hiding something from her; from them all. A dark secret that blurred at the edge of his cryptic words, a purpose he seemed unwilling to divulge. The rogue looked away from the intense gaze and shrugged.

"No more than it has in the past. At least the worst of it has passed."

Solas nodded, staring at the young woman in contemplation. She continued to surprise and surpass his expectations. She bore the mark well and had even shaped it to her will. Her power has increased but it was taking a toll on her body; one that she seemed determined to undermine. He reached out, his hand lightly resting over hers.

"You know, you are allowed to be human. Being the leader of this movement does not mean you must be invincible."

Evelyn scowled and shifted her hand away from the strangely gentle touch, her tone cold as she voiced her rejection of his sentiment. "I beg to differ but that is exactly what it means. Through no fault or action of my own I am now considered a role model, a beacon of hope; Andraste's chosen one. None of those titles give me any right to be less than perfect."

Solas pulled his hand away and nodded slowly. "I understand. I did not mean to make light of the burden you bear. I only seek to try and lessen it any way that I can."

Evelyn turned again to study the soft spoken man beside her. His understanding surprised her; she'd had no reason to expect such. She felt a frown touch her lips as shame crept into her at the unjust suspicions and projected venomousity she had allowed to color her opinion of this man. Perhaps she had been too quick to judge.

"I believe I owe you an apology Solas."

The mage tilted his head, the young rogue's words catching him by surprise. "An apology? I cannot think of why you would owe me such a thing."

The Inquisitor held up a hand. "And yet that does not negate the fact that you are owed one all the same. I've been distrustful of you from the beginning; even thing you have proven a stanch ally and friend to me on more than one occasion. I've spent the least time with you yet you've shown me nothing but patience and understanding…"

The elven apostate shook his head, chuckling softly, "I am an elf as well as an apostate who is actively helping to cleanse and restore a region that would have me treated as a slave or locked away in a circle. I would say your suspicions were completely justified."

Evelyn found herself lightly laughing at the statement as the Mage slowly re-bandaged her arm. "Well when you put it that way…"

A loud bang shook the ground beneath them and Evelyn rose unsteadily to her feet; her dagger drawn and glinting in the green light that pulsated from the mage's staff.

"Inquisitor!"

Evelyn watched as the bearded warden skid to a halt in front of them, breath panting.

"Good. You're alright. You need to come see this."

"Wait!"

Evelyn startled at the cutting command and turned to see a familiar cowl materialize from the shadowed wall. She watched as Leliana walked over to the warden and stared him down, her normally soft litl hardened to steel. "You would have her run back into danger warden? She is not yet healed."

Blackwall cringed as ice blue eyes regarded him, awaiting his response. Defiant he bit back, "I am not asking her to run into danger Nightingale. The rift is closing in on itself, the demons are fading now even as I speak."

Leliana raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued by this new development. "The rift is closing on its own… but how…" She paused and then shook her head. "Lead the way warden. I would witness this my own eyes."

Evelyn took a step to follow them and halted as that same cutting voice focused on her. "You will stay here Inquisitor; this could easily be a ploy to lure you away from safety." The Inquisitor scowled at the command and stepped forward again, her voice rising in opposition. "I do not take orders from you Leliana. If the rift is closing I want to see it. You have no right to stop me."

The spymaster regarded the noble, her lips twitching in amusement at the youthful defiance that glared back at her and watched as the young woman took another step forward as though to incite another response. The bard in her wanted to push back, to engage that defiance and see just how this chosen leader handled a break in the ranks but now was not the time. There were too many eyes here to risk starting that sort of argument and it would prove nothing. Before she could respond a deep voice cleared itself from behind her and she turned back to look at the lone warden.

"Um…I don't mean to interrupt but... the rift…"

Leliana watched as Evelyn strode forward, passing her and falling into step alongside the warden, her voice carrying in the empty tunnels as she demanded action from the bearded warrior. "Show me." The spymaster arched an eyebrow at the bold move and beckoned to the other two members of the party. "Come, we should all see this."

It was the pain that woke her, it was the pain that she remembered last. Cassandra winced, her eyes immediately closing at the first sliver of light that crept in. Her head throbbed in time with her heart; a steady pulse that reminded her that she was still alive and that her head hurt like hell. She shifted, tensing as she realized that her plate armor was missing. Immediately she jerked awake, her mind registering the stiffness of muscles left in the same position for far too long. The pale light stung her eyes and Cassandra froze as she realized that she was in a cramped cell. The seeker darted her eyes, quickly taking in the dismal surrounding; startling as a cold laugh echoed from the shadows.

"Finally Cassandra. I thought you would sleep all day. He will be pleased that you have awoken."

The voice… it rang familiar somehow yet her mind could not place it. She growled and then lurched forward coughing as the guttural noise irritated the dry lining of her throat.

"Tsk, tsk Seeker Pentaghast. You should conserve your strength."

Cassandra spat at the floor and glared towards the disembodied voice; her own rasping harshly as she yelled out into the darkness, "Show yourself coward!" She watched the direction the voice had come from, eyes trying unsuccessfully to peel back the layers of black so that she could identify her captor. There it was… that cold laughter again. The sound of it infuriated her as did the inescapable fact that she had been caught unaware. She lunged forward wrapping her hands around the slender bars, shaking them furiously in her rage as that same voice continued to taunt her.

"Oh if only your beloved mentor could see you now. How he adored you, his star pupil, his shining example of hard work and dedication. He never saw you for the fame grasping, self righteous bitch that you have proven to be. It is good that Byron did not live to see you as you are now; a weak willed woman who turned her back on our order..."

Cassandra stilled as a chill crept down her spine. That voice. She did know it. The memory of a familiar sneering face rose to the surface of her mind and she spat the name from her lips. The name drew more laughter and she watched as a shadow stepped closer, bathing its features in the cold light to reveal its owner's identity.

"Brava Cassandra; as they say "seek and you shall find."

She glared at the man the order had chosen as Lord Seeker, the sneer on his pinched features a familiar sight. They had never gotten along but she had not thought him capable of such… treachery. The image of her apprentice Daniel begging her to end his life rose unbidden in her mind and with it a fresh pang of guilt mixed with grief. She stared at the Lord Seeker through the iron bars as her mind tried to wrap around what reason he could possibly have for betraying their order, for selling their people to a monster, for… everything; a single word escaping her lips before she could stop it.

"Why…?"

Lucius laughed again, cold and jarring "You'll have to be a lot more specific than that Cassandra."

The warrior grit her teeth, her rage returning as she growled back. "How could you, how dare you! They trusted you, followed you and your leadership was their downfall! How can you sit there laughing and smiling while the world crumbles around us all?"

Lucius turned from the burning hate of his fellow seeker's gaze and stared back into the darkness; his voice echoing against the empty stone that surrounded them. "I dared because someone had to. I did what no one else was willing to do, I did what my position and my conscious demanded of me. You ask how could I? I ask you how could I not?" He turned to face the former right hand once more. "Our whole order has been a lie. This war between mages and templars is one of our creation and we are not fit to sit in judgement! The Seekers are abominations Cassandra. Our vigil… simply a process used to turn us tranquil, to turn our emotions inside and shape us into the cold ruthless killers we have all become. You think you can walk away from it all unscathed but you are no different!"

Cassandra stared, stunned into silence. Tranquil? Abominations? No! Her mind rejected the words with a shake of her head as she gave voice to her disbelief, "Impossible!" It had to be. Tranquility was only possible with mages and the ritual itself was absolute; a ritual that she had, regrettably, had to use on more than one occasion when a mage lost the fight with a demon's temptation. There was no record of the rite being performed on a non-magic user nor of it being able to be reversed. The implications that such acts could be possible were daunting. She narrowed her eyes and fixed the Lord Seeker with a cold stare.

"You lie and even if such a thing were true, it would never justify your sentencing our order to die. Their lives were not yours to take Lord Seeker Lucius."

She spat the last three words, her hand moving towards the sword she had forgotten no longer hung at her side. She clenched at the thin fabric of her breeches instead and glared. "Is this why I have been taken then? Am I the last remaining Seeker of Truth? Who am I to be sold to ? The Cult of Fiery Promise is no more; I made sure of that when I attacked Caer Oswin. Or will you feed me whatever it is your gave to Daniel? Am I to be turned into a demon as a part of your twisted desire to serve your master?"

Lucius laughed again and lifted an eyebrow towards the raven haired woman behind the iron bars. "As usual Cassandra, you have failed to see the larger picture. I stopped considering you a part of our order when you refused to walk away from the Chantry and the Divine. I have no master. For now Corypheus and my path are one and the same but his ambition is limited. He can have the godhood for I want so much more. I have no interest in what is done with you; you are merely a means to an end. I simply helped lay the trap that you walked ever so willingly into."

He paused, relishing the look of realization that dawned on the harsh angles of his fellow seeker's face. "Yes. After months of searching for the remainder of our order with little success, our whereabouts suddenly become available at the same time a huge rift opens in the opposite direction. Coincidence? I think not."

Cassandra felt her stomach drop as she looked back at the triumphant smile that twisted the Lord Seeker's face. No. It couldn't be. The Inquisitor's name left her lips before she thought better of it and with it came more of that same mirthless laughter.

"You see now Cassandra? This was never about you. This was about your precious Inquisitor; your "Herald of Andraste". This was about exploiting a weakness the two of you were too careless to conceal."

Lucius paused and nudged the bowl of gruel forward that he had previously placed on the ground in front of the seeker's cell as he had waited for her to awaken. His smile widening cruelly as he gestured down to the meal. "As to what we plan to do with you… that decision rests entirely in your hands Cassandra. I know it is not the fare your noble self is accustomed to but I would suggest you eat to keep up your strength. After all we wouldn't want you to go the way of apprentice Daniel now would we." With that said he turned on his heel and stalked back down the blackened hallway.

Cassandra looked at the brown mixture with a mixture of trepidation and revulsion as the memory of Daniel's rasping voice echoed softly in her mind. "They put a demon inside me… They fed me things… I can feel it growing inside me, eating at me from within… Kill me, please" She cursed and kicked the bowl of gruel hard, shattering it against the wall before sliding down the cold wall. Cassandra felt the cold that had been pulling at her consciousness at last and hugged her knees against her body as she studied the food running slick down the wall. She could feel her stomach clenching with hunger and she was unsure how long it had been since she had last eaten but the way the Lord Seeker had smiled… She needed her strength but she could not, would not risk such corruption.

Cassandra closed her eyes and began to cite the Canticle of Trials under her breath. She had not attempted to fast since her vigil; she'd never had a reason to but now she knew she had to try. So far as she could ascertain she had been the only one captured unless Iron Bull and the others were located elsewhere but Cassandra had a feeling that her companions had been left behind. She prayed that that was the case because it would at least give Leliana a trail to follow and knowing the spymaster as she did, there was no stone she or her agents would leave unturned.

She paused in her recital as the memory of familiar green eyes flashed in front of her. Cassandra cursed her own foolishness. She should have fought against her feelings for the Free Marcher. She knew too well the consequences of war and what it meant to sacrifice one's own happiness on the altar of duty. She should never have dropped her guard and let the other woman in. The Lord Seeker was right; she had been careless. Her choice had done nothing more than risk the cause in which they were all risking their lives for. She had painted a target on Evelyn's back and the Herald had marked the same on her.

Eyes flashing and mind made up, Cassandra stood and stared out into the darkness. She would not cower like some frightened animal. They would have to try harder if they wanted to cage her here. The seeker knelt and systematically began to creep her fingertips slowly along every edge, every crevasse that made up the surrounding 4 walls. Cassandra did not know how much time had passed but she knew she had a limited amount of time to try and escape. She knew well what Evelyn would do the moment she found out. The seeker only hoped that Leliana's cool logic would be enough to stop the Inquisitor from foolishly following whatever trail had been laid down for her.