Evelyn urged her horse further, mindful not to push the animal more than was safe. They still had leagues of ground to cover and such animals were hard to come by the closer they drew to the northern border of Orlais. She'd had to fight not to take every one of her companions; every one of them clammering for a spot on the rescue mission with Varric, surprisingly, the most vocal about coming with her to "save the seeker." He had claimed the research material, so auspicious a mission would afford him, was simply too good to pass up but Evelyn suspected that the dwarf had reasons he would likely never divulge. Though the two of them argued vehemently there was a certain level of camaraderie between them that spoke of a grudging respect born out of battling and traveling together. She had acquiesced to his impassioned pleas, choosing the archer for his carta contacts rather than his supposed worry over the woman she loved.
She had also decided to take the Iron Bull, convinced that the qunari wanted nothing more than to right the mistake he had made. Evelyn knew that had she left him out of the group he would have likely followed them with a noisy band of Chargers at his heels. Dorian was a given considering his Tevinter background. Who better to accompany them into an ancient shrine than a man who had grown up immersed in the history of such. Solas had been a last minute addition, although the mage's reluctance to come had been odd to say the least. When they had spoken of rescuing the seeker back when they had not known who it was that held her, the mage had been all too ready to accompany her, but now he seemed hesitant and withdrawn; no amount of questioning having pried the reason from his closely guarded words. The reasons did not matter; she needed the mage. He was the most talented among them at the healing arts and walking into a potential confrontation with the creature (she refused to call it a man) that had torn the world almost asunder without that would have been a foolish decision even by her own standards.
The elf's silence was not encouraging and Evelyn chose, instead, to jog her horse alongside the Iron Bull and Dorian and enjoy the flagrant flirting and sexual banter that was ever present when the two men were together.
"Say Dorian, you Vints like riddles right?"
The mage sighed in exasperation and shook his head at the teasing qunari at his right, ignoring the faint chuckle from the woman at his left. "No, but I am sure that is not going to stop you from telling me one is it…"
The Iron Bull laughed and cuffed the smaller man on the shoulder, his voice resounding loudly enough so that any one passing within a few hundred feet would hear. "Oh you will like this one; I picked it up at the Pearl years ago… now listen carefully."
The qunari paused for dramatic effect before lowering his voice slightly, his mouth curled in smirk as he recounted the riddle. "I heard of something rising in a corner… swelling and standing up, lifting its cover. A knowing wench grabbed at the boneless wonder with her hands and a bride covered that swelling thing with a swirl of cloth. What is it?"
Dorian glared at the smirking Qunari and shook his head, "Must everything with you be about sex? Can't you just do as our lovely Inquisitor does and admire me in silence from afar?" He raised an eyebrow as the warrior laughed and commanded him to answer the question. Sighing once more, the Tevinter shrugged and pointed between the Iron Bull's legs, his voice a bored droll. "Although I seriously doubt any bride would have you... look between your legs and I am sure you will find the answer soon enough."
Iron Bull laughed and clapped the slender mage on the back, ignoring the way his expression of camaraderie caused the other man to fall against the neck of his horse. He shook his head and brought his horse alongside the other man's, nudging his shoulder while tossing the Inquisitor a wink. "Wrong little man! Its dough! Dough! Ha! Now who is guilty of making everything about sex?"
Evelyn smiled, chuckling softly at the mage's exasperated groan and the thunder of the qunari's resulting laughter; enjoying the rare lightheartedness of the moment briefly before returning her thoughts to the task at hand. They were almost assuredly walking into a trap; something both her and the spymaster had agreed upon. If the maps were correct then they were less than a week from the shrine, less than a week from her seeker. Evelyn's heart swelled, her mind filling with bittersweet memories of their parting, those harsh beautiful angles that never failed to draw her eye, and the unmistakable accented tones that could simultaneously chill her to the bone or weaken her knees. She could see those features, hear that voice so clearly in her mind even taste the sweet tang of the seeker's skin. Cassandra would no doubt be furious; she would no doubt admonish Evelyn's recklessness but the Inquisitor could not find it in herself to care. She was prepared to face whomever held the warrior and when the battle was over, when the shrine was clear of all their enemies…
The Inquisitor felt her lips curl in the ghost of a smile. She would despoil the shrine's very altar and use it to apologize to Cassandra for everything in her own sacrilegious way. She felt a tremor roll down her abdomen as the muscles clenched in pleasure at the thought of stripping the armor from that toned body and pressing it back against stone, candles burning in a chamber filled with relics worshipping the Old Gods; filling that sacred hall not with hymns of legendary acts but with the gasps and low moans that were sure to welcome her eloquent confession of guilt. Evelyn felt her lips curl into a slow smile. Yes. She had much to apologize for; for attempting to drive the other woman away, for not being careful to conceal her feelings, for putting the seeker in danger just to name a few. She was snapped out of her fantasy by a gentle nudge against her arm as her horse drew to a stop. The Inquisitor turned to see a mischievous glint in the single eye that studied her from above. She lifted an eyebrow at the qunari; her action causing the Iron Bull to flash a devious grin her way.
"Don't worry Boss, we will find the seeker and when we do I'll drag the rest of the boys away so you ladies can get… reacquainted."
Evelyn narrowed her eyes, studying the tall bulky warrior. "How did you…"
The Iron Bull shrugged, releasing the Inquisitor's reins to allow her horse to continue forward as he chuckled to himself, voice dropped in a conspiratorial tone. "You make her happy. She hides it well but when she thinks nobody else is looking she gets this far away look in her eyes then glances your way and smiles. She makes you happy too Boss and it's good. Stress relief you know, and if you ladies ever want to mix…"
Evelyn punched the towering grey bulk in the arm and glared, "Do NOT go there!" She rolled her eyes as the qunari warrior laughed boisterously in response and spurred her horse forward. Despite the inappropriate insinuation, the qunari's words warmed her; to think one such as she had the ability to make so taciturn a woman smile. Her eyes caught the apostate watching her from the corner of his eyes, his look one of contemplation and worry. Concerned and feeling as though she ought to make sure everything was alright, Evelyn nudged her horse alongside the elf. "You've been quiet since we left the keep."
She watched as bright eyes met her own, unreadable and ageless; the elf's voice almost too soft to hear above the winds that blew all around them. "I have been listening to the Fade; the veil is weak here."
Evelyn tilted her head, regarding the apostate. They had talked once about his forays into the Fade; about how it allowed him to go back in time, to see and experience the past through another's eyes. She was curious to know more but found herself hesitating to ask. She was not a mage and had little to no understanding of the Fade and the power it held beyond the strange tear in the palm of her hand.
"There is much about Cassandra that I admire and there are many reasons one such as she should be saved but you are not ready for this Inquisitor."
The Herald furrowed her brow and frowned at the apostate, "What do you mean I am not ready Solas? Ready for what? To face our enemy head on? Hasn't that been the end goal from the very beginning? You would have me abandon the field in favor or retreat or abandon one of the first people who believed in me? You would prefer that we leave Cassandra to the mercy of Corypheus and his lackies?"
The mage looked into the stormy eyes on the woman he had agreed to follow. He could sense the growing anger in the Free Marcher; an anger that simmered and bristled whenever the seeker's name was mentioned. He cleared his throat and looked away from the growing storm.
"We both know the reason you are leading this mission Inquisitor, let us not pretend with one another."
Evelyn flushed, her voice tight with controlled anger as her hands fisted in the reins. "Solas…"
He glanced back and held up a hand, "I do not say such things unkindly; the responsibility that has been thrust on your shoulders is not an easy one. Who could fault you for seeking another with whom to share it? But to place your seeker above the lives of all of Thedas… to risk all for the sake of one is foolish and it is a mistake that may ruin us all."
The rogue opened her mouth to refute the statement, stammered for a moment and then stopped. There was truth in the apostate's words; the same truth that had been in the spymaster's, a truth she was hard pressed to deny and one she would ignore all the same. Yes, what she had proposed was a risk but when she tried to imagine a world worth saving without the seeker in it… she could not. She stared ahead, silently rocking with the rhythm of the horse beneath her. Evelyn could feel the mage looking at her but she was saved from responding by a loud cry as an arrow wizzed dangerously close to her face and her horse reared in alarm.
"Watch out!"
The Inquisitor grabbed for the pommel, her gloved fingers closing on nothing but air as she pitched over the back of her mount.
Lucius stood in stoic silence as the dark magister raged. He glanced to the figure that lay sleeping on a thin cot, the faintly sweet smell of herbs and burnt flesh permeating the room. Inwardly the Lord Seeker was impressed. Even he did not have the ability to fire lyrium hot enough that it caused the type of burning that had covered the Tevinter woman's body. Not even the Elder One had not escaped unscathed; the red deposits of pure magic that remained fused to his ravaged form had blackened in the heat radiated by the Right Hand's attack. The snarl of his name turned his attention back to the tirade and the armored warrior found himself in the grip of a clawed hand that forced him to his knees.
"Nothing in your reports of her indicated she was able to wield such power! My vessel lies ruined almost beyond repair… You should have warned me Lucius…"
The Lord Seeker gasped for breath as the steel like grip released him, flinging him to the ground and magic forced him further into the stone. The pressure was unbearable and the knight grunted, teeth grinding as he fought the scream that threatened to release from his lips. He watched in horror as his armor began to dent and bend to the Elder One's will.
"I… didn't… knowwwww…"
The words were choked out and then screamed as a loud snap reverberated throughout his body and the warrior cried out as two of his ribs cracked in two. Pain radiated like fire through his chest, panic setting in. He tried to draw breath but heard the tell tale wheeze, tasting the blood that sprayed up between his lips. He tried in vain to call forth his own powers to dispel the magic but his thoughts floundered and he screamed again as another bone cracked beneath the weight of a god's rage.
Cassandra trembled, her stomach churning as her eyes opened. For a moment she faltered, not knowing where she was until the unmistakable stench of death hit her full force and her eyes caught sight of the decimated carcass that lay at her side. The warrior gagged and rolled to her knees, stomach heaving as she lost what little she'd been able to gag down. Cursing the seeker slammed her fist to the ground, tears of frustration blurring her sight.
"I would never have expected a member of the famed Pentaghast line to make a meal on rats. Then again I would never have thought a woman such as you could come so close to harming a "god". You indeed full of surprises my lady."
Sharp hazel eyes jerked towards the sound, the voice sounded familiar in her ears but she could not place it. Did her list of captors never end? Cassandra growled in the darkness towards the corner where the words had generated from.
"Another follower of the false god? Pitiful. Show yourself coward!"
She watched as tall man stepped into the light, his clothing simple yet elegant; a noble to be sure, but it was the familiarity of the face that stared back at her that had her racing towards the iron bars of her prison cell.
"You!"
Bann Trevelyan chuckled, shaking his head as he watched the warrior shake the immovable bars, Nevarran curses exploding from between chapped lips. The dungeons had not been used since his grandfather's day but it was good to see that the structure was still able to do that which it had been built to do. Had it not he was more than certain he would have already forfeited his life and he had no intention in going out in such an undignified manner. He waved aside the other woman's rage, flashing a crooked smile at the seeker.
"My my if you are this animated between the sheets it is little wonder my youngest is so taken with you. Perhaps, as a reward, the Elder One would grant me a night before sending you the death you seem so eager for."
The sight of that familiar grin staring at her from such an unfamiliar face had Cassandra paling as the noble's words sank in and she backed away from the bars, her hands curled into fists. "You wouldn't dare."
The tall man shrugged and held his hands out to the sides, his eyes glittering in the guttering torchlight. "Wouldn't I? I've already betrayed my daughter, so what makes you think I would hold you, her heretical lover, to a higher standard?"
The seeker glared and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Why would you betray your family and what makes you so sure that she and I are lovers?"
She watched as the tall man turned and folded his arms behind his back and began to pace, another trait he shared with the daughter he seemed to care naught for; his deep voice resonating quietly in the stillness of the dungeon.
"I did it because I could. I did it because I wanted to and you, my dear seeker, handed me the very key. I have hated my little Evie since the moment her first breath stole away my wife's last. I have watched her grow with the privilege and resources my name has provided only to squander both inheritance and opportunity with her amoral actions."
He stopped and turned towards the seeker, stepping closer to the cell, his voice dropping to a cold hiss. "You have not known my daughter long Seeker and therefore your ignorance of her can be forgiven but I can assure you that she does not have it in her to succeed. Evelyn will crumble under the responsibility you and your fellow hand have placed upon her. She is no leader and certainly our land deserves better than to be shaped by the likes of her."
"And Corypheus would be the better choice?!"
The Bann laughed mirthlessly and sneered down at the tall woman in front of him. "That fool is nobody's choice. He is a means to an end. Your Inquisition has already weakened him but such power under my leadership will destroy him outright. I have no intention of worshiping one of the very mages whose actions brought with them the Blights; my ambitions encompass so much more."
Cassandra studied the man in front of her. Watching him was like watching a more predatory version of Evelyn herself. The two of them moved with the same controlled fluid grace, spoke with the same cadence; even the Bann's smile mirrored that of his daughter. Her fists tightened with the urge to wipe the cocky smile away but even though his impassioned speech had drawn him closer he still remained just beyond her reach. For a moment her mind wandered to what Leliana would have done had she been in the same position and bit back her snicker of disapproval. Had the spymaster been the one caught in this snare she would have no doubt talked or seduced her way out and judging by the glint of concealed interest lurking in the Bann's eyes the later would have had more a chance to succeed. But Cassandra was not the spymaster and things like words and seduction did not come naturally to her at all. Instead she backed away from the bars of her cell and leaned against the wall, letting the exhaustion and resignation creep into her voice.
"So what happens now?"
The Bann shrugged, "We wait. We wait to see if Calpernia's plan will work; we wait to see if your precious "Inquisitor" is foolish enough to come for her not-so-secret lover." He felt his cold grin grow wider as the tall warrior snorted under her breath and watched warily as she pushed away from the wall. He could admit that he found the Nevarran fascinating and had ever since their brief meeting; the predatory look in her kohl lined eyes along with the slow graceful way she paced the small cell reminded him of exotic animals he had read about somewhere - and like those animals, this seeker was just as dangerous. Even knowing such the Bann found himself moving closer to the cage, drawn close by fascination - his footsteps halting as a cold voice called from the dark.
"Keep your distance fool."
The voice sent a chill up his spine and the nobel turned as the tall figure of the corrupted magister floated down the stairs. He'd yet to deal with the Elder One directly; his point of contact being the former slave that was currently suffering the effects of the seeker's attack. He hid his annoyance and bowed his head in a show of deference as he stepped aside, his eyes lifting to study the second standoff between god and seeker.
Cassandra squared her shoulders and glared up at the lyrium infused darkspawn. She felt her lips twist in a wry smirk as she noticed the once bright lyrium had blackened against his flesh. Her last attack had not killed the twisted mage but it had at least caused injury and if he could be injured than he could be killed.
"I see that you survived but what of the woman who…"
The words halted between her lips as fingers curled around her throat, impossibly long nails digging into her skin as the magister's inhuman arm darted through the iron bars. The words that hissed from that lipless mouth reeking of death and decay.
"You will not speak to me again without my leave mortal. Your tone, indeed your very look offends me. My vessel lies on the brink of ruin and I have crushed the leader of your order beneath my heel. One more word and I shall do the same to you."
Cassandra had no choice but to hold her tongue as she struggled to breath through that crushing grip; her mind warring with the shock of Lucius's death and the satisfaction of knowing she had at least thwarted the Tevinter in the completion of another one of his many goals. She did not fear dying; if the Maker's plan was to call her to his side then she would readily face her fate but not without a fight. She closed her eyes, her mind drawing forth images of those gone to the Maker before her and of those she would leave behind. She focused on them, channeling the effect as she once more called forth her ability, her concentration shattering from the unexpected echo of heavy footsteps and the sound of someone new.
"Master, they are near!"
Cassandra gasped as a force threw her against the stone and groaned as air rushed into her lungs, blinding her as a wave of lightheadedness swept over her. She looked up, shocked to see the distinguishable uniform of an Inquisition scout for a brief second before the figure escaped back up the stairs leaving her along with the Bann and his master once more. The pleased hum of noise drew her attention and she watched as the magister drifted closer, his hand sweeping the door to her prison aside as iron bands wrapped tight around her wrists.
"It is time to play your part seeker."
Evelyn winced as she felt at the bandage still wrapped around her head. Solas and Dorian had offered to heal her but she felt it better to save their magical abilities for the battle ahead. The bandits had caught her by surprise. They had made quick work of the group but the Inquisitor found herself once again cursing her mind's tendency to get lost in thought and feeling. She had felt a fool for thinking she had been able to keep her burgeoning relationship with the Nevarran a secret. That frail hope had been shattered by the bet that had been revealed within camp the night before by a smug Dorian. The Tevinter had seemed delighted in his telling her that her acquisition of the seeker's affections had won him a heavy purse from both Vivienne and Blackwall. She found herself staring at the mage in disbelief before a thunderous laugh had broken the silence. Evelyn had turned her glare towards the Iron Bull who admitted that the group had suspected inasmuch after the infamous duel between the two women but things had not been confirmed until Varric had been asked to write that surprise chapter. The rogue seethed, her cheeks flushing as she inwardly cursed the dwarf's indiscretion. The Free Marcher felt her lips curl with satisfaction when she thought of the hell Cassandra would rain down upon the dwarf's head when she found out what he had done.
Cassandra…
The name was enough to pull all her emotions in opposite directions. Lust gave way to fear even as worry warred with the prideful knowledge of the seeker's own substantial abilities. She knew the seeker would not give in or give up without a fight but would it be one she could win? That was the question that stole what precious little sleep the rogue had been able to get because she knew the answer; she knew that the warrior held no qualms about giving her life to a greater cause and if her death would bring something positive, Evelyn was more than sure that the seeker would meet it head on. A quiet voice pulled her from the depth of her thoughts and she turned towards the sound.
"The air is stirring."
The Inquisitor held up her hand, halting the long line of soldiers and companions. She strained her ears to hear what the hedge mage had but to no avail. She turned towards the slender elf, intent upon obtaining an explanation of those four words when the tear in her palm exploded, pain spiraling up her arm as the mark bathed the world in green light and a voice hissed from beyond the void.
"Have you come to meet your doom mortal or to lay your burdens at the feet of your new god?"
Strong winds swirled around her, the tear in the sky widening as slender hands clenched into fists and the noble glared upwards shouting, "You know why I've come…" She paused as she felt the pull grow stronger, the air growing thinner with every breath…
With a gasp the noble fell to her knees as the world around her shifted and changed; the mark on her hand an agony she had no choice but to endure. Evelyn closed her eyes, teeth gritting through the pain. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could hear the echo of her companions exclaims of surprise as a chilling cold pierced her. She clenched her fists, gathering her strength as she stood once more, her eyes opening to the nightmare unfolding before her.
It was like waking to a dream, something out of the Fade itself and eerily reminiscent of the visions that had plagued her ever since the sky had been torn open. There stood a new enemy, just as dark and twisted as the one they had come to face; her lover held captive and suspended in the air, arms chained.
"Cassandra!"
Evelyn yelled again, her concern growing when the tall warrior failed to respond. She whirled her attention to the grotesque figure that held the seeker captive and snarled, "Release her or..."
The voice that greeted her was like none she had heard before. Smooth and yet grating, superfluously deep and yet it hissed a chill into the air "Or what? Will you beg me as you did Him when he offered to take the mark away? He has no use for it now; has been ruined by you, the only cure left is death. A death he has sent me to collect. I am Nightmare and the choice of who shall fall is yours."