Chapter 63: Foolish or Brave
Too Brash.
Cassandra recognized that she was being that now. As soon as Leliana had provided her with the information she needed she had taken off without further word or thought. She could almost see Byron shaking his head from his place at the Maker's side. Once again she was acting without thinking…still what else could she do?
If she waited the trail would likely go cold.
For months now she had been searching for word of the Seekers of Truth. In every skirmish with the Red Templars, with every report of sightings of the Order, she had left no stone unturned, no lead unfollowed. Still, she had found nothing. The Seekers had simply vanished from Thedas.
The warrior woman scowled as she rode swiftly down the road.
She had no doubt that Corypheus was behind this. He had corrupted the Templars from within; he would not have been able to do that while the Seekers had been in command. Obviously, they had needed to be removed before he could carry out his plans. Now that the Elder One had the army he sought, the Seekers, if they were still alive, were no longer any use to him.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
She needed to find out what happened.
No one had seen Lord Seeker Lucius for months, not since that business in Val Royeaux, and considering what both Cole had said, and what the Chargers had learned in Theirin Fall Redoubt, it was doubtful that Lord Seeker Lucius had even been in Val Royeaux in the first place.
If that was so, the question remained, what had happened to the Seekers of Truth?
Leliana had been making polite inquiries since the Battle of Haven. She warned Cassandra not to get her hopes up; it was highly likely that the Seekers were either dead or corrupted. From what they had seen so far, it was clear that Corypheus was not foolish enough to leave a force that could oppose him intact.
She advised her to prepare for the worse, even as she continued her search.
Cassandra did not like thinking about that. The Seekers had been her family since she was a young girl. They were too strong to have been broken so easily. They were her brothers and sisters, she would not abandon them. She couldn't abandon them.
She held onto her faith.
Even when she had been branded a traitor during that business with Divine Beatrix twenty years ago she had never lost faith in her own order. In the end, that faith had been rewarded; she had saved the Divine's life, and had risen to the rank of Right Hand…
It was that same faith that sustained her now.
She left Skyhold with only a token force, but they were only her escort, she intended to gather a larger force when they reached Ferelden. She knew that she could not conduct the search for the Seekers on her own.
She hoped that Ana would support her in that, that she would lend her skill and numbers to aid her in completing this task.
Leliana's agents had found evidence that at least a dozen Seekers, maybe more had gone into to Ferelden in the last few months. All signs pointed to them making the long journey to the castle of Caer Oswin. It was there that she hoped to find the answers she thought.
Her research on the place had turned up little. It was the stronghold of Bann Loren of Ferelden. Everything the spies had learned suggested that the Bann was a pious man, but they also advised caution. The Bann had become a recluse in the last ten years, his wife and eldest son had died in Castle Cousland during the Blight, and even before that it was said that he preferred to keep his allegiances fluid.
Why would such a man give the Seekers succor? Why would they even choose to seek him out in the first place?
She could not say for certain.
It was possible that the Bann was merely seeking to protect the Seekers of Truth. While at the same time, it was also possible that he believed that Corypheus was too strong to defeat, and decided to join the Elder One's cause, if only to save himself.
That last thought brought a snarl to Cassandra's lips. Yet, she did her best to keep her temper in check.
She would know soon enough, as soon as she reached Caer Oswin, and she would not be going in alone.
They had received a raven yesterday; Ana had finished her business in Crestwood. She and Hawke were returning together, they would be passing through Redcliffe about the time that Cassandra reached town. Leliana had warned her to be cautious; she had said that the Inquisitor's letter had sounded a bit tense. Before even the simplest introduction, their leader had ordered that a search and detain order be sent out of the former Mayor of Crestwood. Every soldier and agent in Ferelden was to make this a priority, the Inquisitor wanted the man hunted down and brought before her. The letter said nothing of the reason why, but why was not necessary.
The agents knew their business, and so did Cassandra.
She also knew Ana, the Inquisitor would not send such an order frivolously, if she believed it necessary, it probably was, still….
What had the mayor of Crestwood done to earn the Inquisitor's attention and ire? Cassandra figured that she would find out soon enough.
As for Ana's meeting with Hawke's Grey Warden contact, that raised even more questions. She ordered that several scouting groups currently working in the Orlesian heartlands be dispatched to the Western Approach with all speed. A surprising order indeed considering how much the fighting had shifted in the past few weeks. Most of the Venatori and Red Templar forces were now focused in the eastern Orlais. Leliana's agents continued to report that the Elder One's forces were branching out through the Dales, and elsewhere, searching for any trace of elven ruins. What Corypheus wanted with this, she truly could not say, not that it mattered in the long run.
Where ever the Elder One moved, the Inquisition would be there. They would strike hard at his forces, tearing his army apart piece by piece. Until only he and his pet remained, then…and only then, would they finally see justice done.
Corypheus would answer for the death of the Most Holy, and for everyone else who had met their end at the Conclave…
The Seeker pursed her lips.
He would answer for what he had done to Galyan.
It was strange, they had not been lovers for many years, yet she still cared deeply for him. She did not share her heart easily, so when she chose to do so, the people involved became very dear to her.
Her brother, Byron, Galyan, Cassandra had loved them all. Daniel her apprentice in the Seekers had also been very dear to her, it had saddened her when he had chosen to go off with the Lord Seeker, instead of staying at her side.
Daniel had always been ambitious. He understood her reasons for staying, but chose to follow the path to promotion. Perhaps that was why she felt it necessary to train Ana. The girl was not just Inquisitor; she was a beacon for all that Cassandra had come to believe in this past year.
Ana would have to be at her best if she was to defeat Corypheus. She proved that she had the courage to do so at Haven, now Cassandra would give her the tools.
Together, they would bring those that had murdered the Divine to justice, and restore order to this world gone mad.
She followed the Maker's will now, she did not deny that, but she also could not leave this matter with the Seekers undealt with. It haunted her heart and soul. It needed to be dealt with before she could move on, and with Ana's help, she would.
She rode hard hoping to reach Redcliffe by early morn, tomorrow. When the Inquisitor arrived she would do what was necessary to convince Ana that they needed to do this.
She did not know where the Seekers were, but she intended to find out, and with Ana's help…she would.
IOI
She arrived in Redcliffe far different from the one she had left months ago. Back then the Inquisition had only just taken up the mages as allies; the people of the village had watched the two groups leave with a mix of barely disguised fear and disgust. Cassandra did not blame them for that.
The mages had all but taken over this place; they had let the Magister's in and cast their beloved lord into the street. How could anyone trust someone who had done such a thing? Why would anyone believe that the Inquisition would be any better?
From the reaction she received, it seemed that they had done just that.
There was a jubilant air in the Redcliffe, torches burned brightly in the darkness; there was much laughter and cheering in the streets.
Cassandra tilted her head, trying to make sense out of all this.
Had she walked in on some kind of festival, Ambassador Montilyet had said nothing of this. From the many Inquisition soldiers in the streets it was clear that they were welcome…
So what was going on? She did not understand this? What could have…?
She brought her horse to a stop, her eyes widened in surprise.
Sitting in the center of town, resting in the bed of a very large cart was the head of a high dragon! Its huge tongue lolled out between long sword like teeth, its yellow eyes stared sightlessly into the dark. Scales, the color of gold, glittered in the fire light, their luster unaffected by the status of death.
The Seeker shook her head.
She recognized the beast immediately; she had learned to identify many a beast during her time with her brother. It was a Ferelden Frostback, she was sure of it, common enough to this region, yet, a rare sight in the civilized areas.
Cassandra shook her head.
She remembered reading reports of burned farms in this area, as well as the disappearance of livestock, but those could all have been blamed on bandits and rebel Templars and mages. Had she known there was a dragon in the area, she would have acted.
She might have been a Seeker, but she was still a Pentaghast. Dragon hunting was in her blood; it was no different than breathing the air.
She should have been here. She could have…
She spotted an Inquisition scout, she was unsure of the man's name, but that did not matter.
"Scout," she called out.
The man froze, and then realizing who was addressing him snapped to attention.
"Seeker Pentaghast, I…um…welcome to Redcliffe. We are honored by your…"
"What is going on," she demanded, "Where did this dragon head come from?"
The young man smiled brightly.
"It was preying on the farmers in the Hinterlands, Your Ladyship. The Inquisitor tracked the beast down to its lair…"
"Where is the Inquisitor," she demanded, "Is she alright?"
"She is in the Tavern," the man said, "She…"
He did not get a chance to finish. From behind him came a cheer from someone in full armor, one of Bull's Chargers she thought.
What he said surprised her.
"ALL HAIL THE LADY ANA! ALL HAIL THE DRAGON SLAYER!"
"LADY ANA!"
"DRAGON SLAYER!"
Cassandra said nothing.
What was there to say?
Dragon slayer?
The Inquisitor had brought down a High Dragon!
She found herself torn between anger at their leader's recklessness, and pride that she had trained a young warrior well enough to bring down a High Dragon.
Many a Pentaghast liked to brag that they could teach anyone to hunt the great beasts, but few still actively practiced the craft. She was one of the few in this generation who had taken the life of one of the beasts.
The fact that her student had done so…
It pleased her.
It was yet another accolade among many to add to the legend of the Herald of Andraste!
Leliana and Josephine would be more than pleased.
More wood for the pyre one might say.
She dismounted from her horse; the crowds were too thick to ride any further. She made her way quickly down the streets, people clearing the way as she went.
The scout said that she was in the tavern.
Hopefully she would still be there when Cassandra arrived.
They needed to talk. She still needed Ana's help with the Seekers.
She still debated on whether she was going to hug or hit Ana when she saw her. She still needed her help after all, but at the same time.
The Seeker shook her head.
Reckless or brave, foolish or skilled, only the Maker could say what Ana was now.
She suspected somewhere that Byron, and likely Galyan as well, was laughing at her.
It seems that her apprentice, the Inquisitor was more like her than she could have guessed.
Was that a good or a bad thing? She could not say for certain.
The Seeker sighed.
Maker help them all.