Elves draped in robes finer than silk and gold lacing their throats pulled her in and swayed her to the tune of a lute just out of sight. They held her close, hands soft and strong on her waist. A man mumbled something sticky sweet in elvish she didn't understand. His voice was a drowned warning against the tide of dresses and vests and sweet melodies turning sour. Their voices whispered around her and she scrambled to find a hand to take hers in the next dance, and the next, and the next until she was stranded in the center of the golden room clad in jeans and a ratty sweater.
Their eyes watched her cruelly and their words rang clear like thorns. She was not one of them, she was a joke. Her magic fell limp and graceless, like an apostate. A shem apostate. Nothing but a wild city rodent playing at grandeur. Saevin cried out in protest, but they laughed and laughed. Their eyes grew smaller and the shems suddenly taller. Circle mages and seekers stared until she felt naked, was naked.
Gnarled knuckles paler than bone and stiffer than dry wood cracked and curled around the green of the fade beckoning Saevin closer. She felt small, so small next to the shem woman. Mother, she called herself in a voice like spiced honey. Her eyes were unclear but they burned on Saevin's skin. She concentrated on her own hands, slender and elvish. This woman was not her mother. This demon was not her mother.
Circle mages surrounded her like barbed wire fence posts, hissing hot to the touch and humming their disapproval. The woman's voice-The demon's voice beckoned her. She promised safety and greatness. The return to glory for Clan Lavellan if only, if only, if only. The mages got closer, their hands outstretched and Saevin couldn't feel her own scream. She tried to weave the green mist into sparks, into something but flowers fell harmlessly to her feet. The woman laughed, deep and dark and her eyes burned.
The ground beneath her shook and gave way to the void, blacker and blacker as she fell. The woman's voice howled with laughter and swirls of purple and green followed her. Leap, she screeched. Learn if you can fly, my child! Saevin shut her eyes and dragged her hands over her ears feeling her nails break the skin. She muttered Keeper Dashana's protection spells like a mantra. She promised, she promised-
Saevin woke up shaking and breathless. A cold sweat beaded her brow and shook her to her core. Beside her, Cha'cer snored loudly, a puddle of drool leaking from her cheek onto the pillow. Saevin watched her and traced the markings on her face in the dark. She traced her own gently, thinking of the demon's calloused hands with a shudder. It was hard to remember that she was in control of her dreams on the bad nights, but she had to. She had no Keeper to watch her, and a clan to lead. A small clan, she thought, looking at her cousin again, but a clan nonetheless. Steel resolve warmed her slowly and her breathing evened.
The clock on the nightstand blinked 4:53. She sighed and smoothed her sleep mussed hair. Carefully she untangled her limbs from the scratchy blankets and slid her feet to the floor. She moved silently through the bedroom, shifting through stacks of folded laundry placed on the bare floor until she found a warm robe and some socks. Saevin stifled a yawn with the back of her hand and shuffled out to the kitchen barely a few steps outside the closed bedroom door.
She lifted the counter-top water boiler with both hands to see if it had enough water in it. Satisfied with the weight, she set it back down on its plastic stand and pressed the orange button at the base. The little light blinked to life where it had been haphazardly taped back into place and she moved to the cupboards to pick out a suitable mug. On the top shelf sat an ancient clay teapot. It lacked carvings or paint but it had been a gift from Dashana. For all she knew, the old Keeper had picked the thing up at a kid's garage sale but the practice of oiling it down to keep it from cracking offered some ceremony. She stood on her tippy-toes to reach for it and had the base hooked under one finger when she felt breath on the back of her throat.
Saevin nearly threw the relic. She caught it just barely and grasped it close to her chest like a shield as she spun around. Nothing but the refrigerator stood behind her. Her grasp on the teapot lessened slightly and she leaned her weight on the counter behind her. The shem woman's voice still rang clearly in her ears and the claws of an archdemon threatened to yank her heart out through her feet. Saevin set the teapot down on the counter, out of her shaky hands. Behind her something scraped against the floor. Her spine turned to ice and she felt the eyes of the woman on her shoulders. She had lightning in her palms when she turned around again only to find her cousin staring at her sleepily.
"Nightmares again?" Cha'cer seemed unphased by the lightning. It could've been the haze of sleep still sticking to her lilac eyes, but Saevin was willing to put money on routine. This incident made it the fifth time this month.
She retracted the lightning back into her skin and wrapped her arms around her chest. Her cousin's pale hand patted her shoulder in a brash attempt at comfort. Saevin busied herself with pulling the two matching clay cups out of the cabinet along with the ornate oiled cloth to wipe them down with. Her hands still visibly shook. If Cha'cer noticed when she took the cups from her grasp, she didn't comment.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Saevin's voice was barely above a whisper. It felt somehow dangerous to raise her voice any further at such an hour. A superstition, she was sure, but she wasn't willing to risk it at the moment.
Cha'cer shrugged, placing one rubbed down cup in front of the rumbling water boiler. "I was mostly awake anyway."
"You were drooling."
"Which is not restricted to sleeping." Cha'cer grinned and Saevin snorted. "I'll have you know that I'm capable of drooling at all hours."
"I believe it." Saevin nodded solemnly. A small smile pulled at the edges of her lips and the demon woman seemed further away with her cousin awake to ground her in reality.
Stress permeated the kitchen at the agonizingly slow speed of the boiling water. Steam hissed through the lid of the boiler. Acutely aware that she was dangerously close to lecture territory, Cha'cer went out of her way to avoid eye contact. Her slender form was crammed between the door of the pantry and its frame, whacking the door on her thigh contemplatively. Her eyes scanned the rows and rows of canned vegetables. She paused briefly on the sack of rice and risked a glance at Saevin. Saevin jumped to life, pretending not to have been standing there staring stupidly at her cousin. She poured the boiling water with great care not to splash the outside of the clay.
"I could get you pardoned, you know." Saevin said. She didn't have to be looking to know that Cha'cer stiffened. She focused on the tea. "That horrid Seeker woman offered to grant me a pardon. It would clear your record, too."
"A pardon for what?" Cha'cer snorted. "Unless you've taken up a life of crime within the last twenty-four hours, I think you're in the clear."
Saevin approached her with the hot mug. Cha'cer's hand darted out to grab it and nearly rammed her fingers through the damn clay. Saevin side-stepped her and scowled. "Would you be careful, lethallan? And you know very well what kind of pardon."
Cha'cer took the mug carefully this time. In another life, her slender fingers could've been a sign of grace or beauty. The calluses that hardened the edges of her knuckles and the cracks of dry skin spoke instead of a life in the working class. It almost hid the scars still jagged from days when dumpster diving hadn't just been an odd quirk. Some habits were hard to kill. Her cousin stared at the tea, not drinking. The steam turned her nose a pale pink.
"You're not honestly telling me you're considering this, Sae." She said quietly.
Saevin ignored the pang of guilt in her stomach and straightened her shoulders. While she wasn't much taller than her cousin, jutting her chin out just enough to resemble her late Keeper let her look through slightly narrowed eyes. She drew her own mug into her grasp and tried to keep her voice as even as possible. "Of course I'm considering it. We are low on options, da'len-"
"Da'len? Seriously?" Cha'cer protested. "I'm older than you, ha'ren."
"-and I would like to consider everything-
"You fuckin' want to go to the circle? What about Clan Lavellan?"
"-could still survive without my guidance, Cha'cer." She said firmly, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid her cousin's outrage. "I am no more fond of this than you are, but you can't tell me things aren't looking dire. I would be a foolish Keeper if I didn't at least try to understand the options we currently have."
"Then I guess it's a good thing you aren't a Keeper yet, isn't it?" Her words bit like venom and she knew it. Now Sae stared at her own tea like a scolded child while angry lilac eyes studied her.
Cha'cer puffed out a sigh. Her cousin ran one hand through her scraggly black hair, bunching it at the back of her head where her ponytail hung and scratching the sides of her scalp where it was shaved close. She set the mug of untouched tea down on the counter. "I'm sorry, Sae."
"First Saevin." She said quietly. The anger returned to Cha'cer's eyes like a shock of electricity but she stilled her tongue.
"Of course. First Saevin. Excuse me, ha'ren."
She left her tea on the counter and stalked back to the bedroom leaving Saevin alone with her tea and her tradition. The door shut with a quiet click and she heard the thud of her cousin flopping onto the dingy old mattress and saw the ripples in her tea as proof. Again, the breath of the demon woman ghosted over the back of her neck and Saevin scratched it away.
. . . . .
The never-ending pile of books seemed to restock itself every time Cha'cer dared to blink. She had sorted the stack out into towers, each tower corresponding to a different level of the library. It at least saved a few trips to make only a couple runs up to the eighth floor with about thirty books than thirty separate runs with one book. That aside, she was undoubtedly getting more cardio in than she ever had while she was stuck in Gary's dusty wine dungeon.
Solas had looked surprised when she kept motioning for him to put more books on the stack in her arms, but she'd just grinned and told him it was nothing compared to carrying around a box of scotch in crystal bottles. He'd lifted an eyebrow but hadn't added a comment.
Truth be told she hadn't actually seen the librarian for a couple hours. The library was big enough and empty enough that she was positive they could avoid each other forever if she wanted. It was eerie to be in a place so full of silence. Sometimes it had her wondering if he'd simply left to let her finish out her chores alone. It seemed plausible enough save for the ever refreshed counters full of books that needed to be filed away.
Every once in a while, she thought she'd see something out of the corner of her eye. Something green and tall but she'd turn and there was nothing. It was probably just lack of sleep. And horrible guilt. She assured herself that waking up in the middle of the night to yell at her only family was probably far beyond normal, irreparable and she'd be homeless by the time she went back to the apartment that evening. The rational voice in her heart told her that Sae was more likely to give into a sloth demon than ever let that happen but guilt still clawed at her heart like hungry ants.
She pushed the last book in her armful into place with a long suffering sigh and rested her head on the musty old books. Her eyes fluttered closed and for a second she stayed there in the stillness of the library. Her left hand flexed open and closed habitually and she slowed her breathing. It wasn't a traditional meditation by any means, but it was comforting. It lulled her back into the safety of silence and the temporary vacation from Haven. Warm fingers twined through hers and she squeezed, relishing the soft touch.
Cha'cer's eyes flew open. She yanked her hand to her chest in terror and looked around frantically to see who's hand (Mythal, she hoped it had been a hand) she had been holding. Something thin and dark slashed through the air just behind the bookcase. Her feet took wobbly steps toward it, denying her racing heart the refuge she'd almost found.
"Hello? Solas?" She called uneasily.
"I am here, Lavellan." He responded, but his voice was distant, somewhere downstairs. The dark thing moved again this time with green at the edges. Cha'cer pressed her back flat against the metal bookshelf. Her fingers grasped the spine of a thinner hardback and she drew the book to her chest like a flimsy shield. Solas' voice rang out again. "Is everything alright?"
She saw the shadow of a boy dart to the left a few rows back and took off after him. Large watery blue eyes and a hat like a scarecrow met her for just a second and vanished just as quick. She staggered to a halt, eyes scanning the room for signs of movement. The scuffle of a boot to her left and she saw the the tip of his raggedy pants as he disappeared towards a dark room with a glass panel. Green light flared to life like a flame and died out as she moved. Her feet carried her without her permission, moving her closer to the strange boy. She halted her hand inches above the door knob. The brass felt cold even without touching it and she couldn't tear her eyes from the glass. Saevin had warned her about demons appearing innocent, about strange magical tears that sopped up energy around Haven. Traces of the Inquisitor, she said. Extremely dangerous or utterly harmless and there was no way to tell.
First Saevin wasn't here, though.
Cha'cer gripped the handle and turned it until it clicked. She slid inside the small study room. The smell of incense and something denser flooded the air thick as smoke. She coughed loudly and heard the door shut with a slam behind her and swung out wildly with her book. Ice clenched around her heart and she felt her stomach drop to the floor as frost covered the metal handle and froze the room shut. She dropped the book and clawed at the door knob frantically, pulling back with a hiss when the metal was hot enough to burn. She cried out and stepped away from the door.
Warping green glow touched the edges of her peripheral vision and she spun around. She was acutely aware of how defenseless she was. Her fingers itched for something to hold and lash out with but she was met with emptiness. On the floor, a cracked clay ball with swirls hummed and vibrated the floor with power. She watched it and felt her breath catch in her throat.
"Keep the sacrifice still," a booming deep voice resonated from the broken orb and the pieces rose in the air. Cha'cer's feet once again moved without her permission, drawing her closer to the glow. She strained against the movement, but her hand reached out, ignoring her cries.
"What's going on here?" She screamed, looking frantically around the room for Solas, for the boy, for anything.
Green flames licked up the sides of the walls and spun into a whirling mess on the ceiling. No eyes peered from the rips in the fade but she felt them on her all the same. The tugging stopped and she stilled a meter or so from the orb. It had lifted almost high enough to touch the ceiling, and beamed down at her like a sword to her throat. She couldn't look away. The green sank away to be replaced with a horrible red. The pieces clung to each other, ignoring the grinding of stone and binding together with something that felt deeply wrong. The orb flashed and hurled itself from where it hovered. Cha'cer screamed again and drew her hands up to cover her face.
The red glow hissed and thrashed when it touched her raised palm, searing into her skin. She shoved as hard as she could and the orb fell crashing to the ground, splitting in two. The colour drained from the room and fell silent enough for Cha'cer to hear her own heavy breathing. She sat trembling on the floor, unsure how she got there and afraid to look at her palm. She clenched her fist shut tight enough to turn her knuckles white and looked to the door. The frost was dripping off the metal handle, but the door itself was blessedly ajar. She pushed herself to her feet and bolted.
. . . . .
Solas started climbing the stairs towards the eighth floor the second he heard Cha'cer call out. There was an edge of panic to her voice that didn't bode well. He saw only the end of the green light from the shrine room and felt the pulse of his own magic shredding its way through the air. The door sagged open and she emerged looking paler than he had thought possible, eyes wild and her fist clutched close to her chest. Solas almost stopped breathing.
"Are you alright, lethallan?" He asked cautiously. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of him and quickly backed up against the wall. When the glass touched her skin she jolted again looking for all the world like she wanted to take off running. He held up his hands to show he wasn't a threat and approached her slowly. "Did something happen?"
Her mouth opened like she was trying to speak but no sound came out. She shook her head and moved to run her hand through her hair. As soon as her palm was eyelevel her eyes widened the size of plates and she yanked her fist back to her chest and wrapped it up in her jacket. It was a gesture Solas hadn't seen in thousands of years and hoped, dearly hoped he was wrong.
"Are you injured?" He tried, taking slow steps towards the frightened elf. Her eyes were pressed as flat and down as they could go and strands of her hair were shaking loose from her ponytail. She looked like she'd been at the forefront of a hurricane. If Cole had been as stupid as he expected… He took another careful step towards her until he could grasp her gently by the shoulders. "You're alright, Lavellan. Just tell me what happened."
Her eyes studied his, narrowing in thought. She chewed her lip and fell limp in his grasp. The ashen colour in her cheeks looked horribly familiar, the pulsating magic coming from her clenched palm even more so. He moved his hand down her left arm, trying to gently pry the wrist from her jacket. Mistake.
She pulled herself out of his grip with a mumbled frantic apology and took off towards the stairs. The air behind her moved like a heatwave, mirroring the floor and flowing out behind her like a wake. Solas swore under his breath and took off after her. "Lavellan, please wait! I can help!" He called, but he was too fast.
She jumped down the staircases entire flights at a time, hitting the walls of the landing with her shoulder. He was only halfway down the fourth floor when he saw her leap over the stairs railing, black ponytail flying out behind her and crash hard onto the ground floor. "Cha'cer!" He cried again, unable to keep the desperation out of his voice.
She picked herself up off the floor and looked at him with fear plain on her face. He saw her mouth something that looked like 'sorry' before she sprinted for the door. Solas slammed his fist into the stairs railing. She was gone.
. . . . .
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Hi guys! Sorry it took so long to update. I've gotten so wrapped up in watching the ending bits of Where the Sky Will Be Kept that I barely even remembered my other projects. And speaking of, if you love Cha'cer and Saevin, you really ought to go read that fic. It's by Nebulad and it's almost over. You will laugh, cry, and then read it again because it's so amazing.
Anyway thanks for all the reviews and encouragement! It means the world to me. You guys are the greatest.