Chapter 65: Seeking the Seekers

"Ugh…so…um…Are you going to lecture me?"

Ana made her way down the hall from her room in the Tavern, Cassandra walking softly at her side. The Inquisitor looked terrible, hair was tangled her eyes bloodshot from the revels of the night before, she wobbled slightly from her hangover trying very hard not throw up, well, not throw up anymore.

She didn't even look at the Seeker, perhaps she was afraid of seeing disappointment on her face, she had come to see Cassandra Pentaghast as a mentor and a friend.

She did not want to know how much she disappointed her.

"Do you deserve a lecture?" the Seeker asked.

"Probably, maybe," the Inquisitor groaned.

She stumbled but managed to keep from taking a nose first dive onto the floor boards. Not that she needed to worry much about that. She did not think that Cassandra would let her beloved leader take such a plunge without at least trying to prevent it…

At…well…at least she thought she would anyway.

It was not something she was eager to put to the test right now.

The sounds of Redcliffe were finally audible through the open windows, just another day in a tiny village in Ferelden.

The Inquisitor closest the window, it creaked loudly from lack of oil, making her hiss with discomfort.

Ana swallowed hard, tasting the foulness from the night before. Her head throbbed dully and even in the softest sound hurt.

It was enough to make her swear off drinking forever provided there even was a next time. Part of her welcomed an end to everything right now; it would be a very sweet release.

Though she doubted the Maker was that merciful. She would just have to deal with it.

Ugh, she thought, Maker please let me die.

She finally looked at Cassandra, the older woman's expression was hard and blank, had you not known Cassandra you might have been worried…

Ana did not mind it herself…

Cassandra always looked like that.

"I…I did not embarrass myself too much last night, did I?"

The Seeker snorted.

"You did not swing from any rafters or anything like that," she replied, "Sera was the one who claimed that position. Bull kept you out of trouble, and I took you up to your room before you passed out or did anything foolish."

The Inquisitor swallowed hard.

"Good," she murmured.

Cassandra nodded, and then slammed her armored fist hard against a shield hanging on the wall, making a loud clang.

Ana's over sensitive hearing magnified that sound, making her wince.

"Ow," she gasped covering her ears with her hands, "What…what was that for?"

"A minor rebuke only," Cassandra answered, "I understand your desire to find release, especially after what happened in Crestwood. You're a young woman, and youthful indiscretions are to be expected, however you do need to be more careful about how you find your release. It would have been wiser of you to retire before you were so drunk you could barely stand up."

The Seeker frowned.

"The Inquisition's interests are your interests. We must try to protect both, no?"

Ana shook her head, hoping that it would stop ringing soon.

"I…I suppose so," she agreed.

"Good," the Seeker said with a hint of a smile, but it was gone as quick as it had appeared. After that she was all business, though her eyes radiated a sort of urgency.

This was beyond business, Ana realized.

For Cassandra, this was personal.

"I have something I need to discuss with you, Inquisitor. If you are feeling up to it, I would like your approval to carry out a mission today."

Ana gave her a blurry eyed look.

"Sounds serious if it could not wait for me to return to Skyhold?"

"It is serious," the Seeker added, "Leliana believes she has located my fellow Seekers. I would like your permission to pursue them."

Ana groaned, but still managed to nod in approval, she might have been hungover, but she was not that hungover that she could not see the value of Cassandra's request.

She knew that the scouts had been searching for the order since the Battle of Haven. There had appeared to have been no Seekers counted among the Red Templars that had destroyed the village, and since that time, no sign of any of black armored warriors in any other engagement between the Inquisition and Corypheus' forces.

The question of what had happened to them needed to be answered.

The Seekers of Truth were a wildcard. The Inquisition did not need them as enemies. Hopefully if they were still active Lord Seeker Lucius could be reasoned with, provided that he was even still alive. What the chargers had discovered in Theirinfall Redoubt suggested that the Lord Seeker had not even been with the Templar order when the corrupting of the order had begun. Everything they had found suggested that the demon the chargers had killed had been impersonating the Lord Seeker for months before the order had fallen under the spell of Corypheus.

Which of course led to another question, if the Lord Seeker had not been at Therinfall, where was he, and what had become of the rest of the seekers?

It was something they needed to deal with.

"Where…where do we start?" Ana asked Cassandra.

"First, you need water," she advised, "And perhaps some breakfast. It might help you feel better."

Ana's stomach made a very loud groan.

"No food," she whimpered, "I doubt I could keep it down. I…"

The door in front of them opened, Iron Bull emerged, wearing only his trousers. Besides that he looked barely phased by the party the night before. The Qunari mercenary grinned pleasantly.

"Good morning, ladies," he said in a loud and jovial voice.

Ana winced.

Did he have to be so loud? Seriously?

Ow.

"Greetings, Bull," Cassandra said with a bow, "We may need your services soon, I trust you can be ready to move?"

The giant warrior grinned.

"Whenever you need," he said.

Ana gave him an annoyed look.

"You drank as much as I did last night."

"Probably," he agreed.

"So why don't you look like death right now?"

The Qunari chuckled.

"My people are known for their recuperative powers," he said, "and our stamina is second to none."

He glanced back into his room.

"Is that not right, ladies?"

From inside several feminine giggles emerged.

Ana and Cassandra said nothing.

"It is too early, Bully," one mewed, "Come back to bed."

Iron Bull smirked.

He smiled down at Ana and Cassandra.

"I'll be ready to when you are boss, in the meantime…"

Bull chuckled.

"I still have some business to take care of."

He slipped back into the room. Ana might have been wrong but she counted no less than four girls lounging in the mercenary's room. Two elven the others human, three of the four had been redheads, of course.

The Qunari smirked and slammed the door, making Ana jump.

It had not hurt her head as much as it might have; she was still digesting what she had seen in there.

Ana blinked.

She…had he really…had those girl's really?

Eeyuu!

"You are going to hurt yourself," Ana called out to the door. Whether she was speaking to Bull or the girls she could not say, possibly both.

Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"Qunari stamina indeed," she said with a disapproving snort.

Ana giggled, it made her head throb.

Oh Maker, don't make me laugh…

Please.

She continued down the hall, ignoring the giggles and moans starting to emerge from Bull's room.

What would even motivate a girl to do something like…well…that?

Had to be the horns, she thought, of course Bull was a big guy, larger than most.

Perhaps the rest of him was…

She blinked.

Nope she was not going there.

It was the horns.

It had to be the horns.

IOI

It took them two days to reach their destination. Caer Oswin was a small crumbling estate not far from the shores of Lake Calenhad. It had fallen into disrepair since the blight ended ten years ago. Most of Bann Loren's family had died early in the Blight. They had been murdered along with the Cousland family of Highever. After that event, Bann Loren had all but vanished from public life. Once he had been extremely active in the chantry, now he barely left the walls of his home.

It was here that the Inquisitions spies had tracked the Seekers of Truth's movements.

It was here that the trail had gone cold.

Leliana's agents had been very thorough, the last time anyone had seen anyone wearing the Seekers insignia had been weeks ago, but before that, that had been sighting every few weeks…

…After that…nothing.

Cassandra had said little, all her thoughts were no doubt directed at finding out what had happened to her fellow seekers. Ana, Bull, Solas, and Sera accompanied her, but it was clear from Cassandra's mood that had they not been here she still would not have stopped.

That's how strong her motivation was to find her former comrades.

Bull remained chipper after his…adventures back in Redcliffe. Sera was still bitchy, she had had an even worse hangover than Ana after the celebration. Once she had sobered up she had been back to snarling about what had happened in Verchiel. Ana hoped that a fight, any fight, would improve her mood. The elf was looking forward to finding someone to stick arrows into. If it came to battle she would no doubt be ready. Solas, as always, kept his own council, though he had tried to engage the Seeker in conversation several times but was rebuffed each time.

It was clear that Cassandra Pentaghast had no desire to talk right now.

All of her thoughts were directed ahead, towards Caer Oswin.

She would not stop until she found the answers she sought.

"Caer Oswin belongs to Bann Loren," The Seeker said more to herself than anyone else, "He is known to be a pious man, not the kind of man who would aid Corypheus. The Seekers presence here makes no sense."

Ana shrugged.

"He might not have had any choice," she said.

"Or he might be just like every other noble shite that punches down," Sera snorted, "Killing the Seekers would have been very profitable."

Cassandra pretended not to hear her.

The Seeker's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"We shall find out soon enough."

IOI

Sera snorted.

"Just give me some rich tit to stick an arrow in," she said, "If he is working for Coryphiccus, he deserves an arrow in the gob."

Ana rolled her eyes.

Sera still had not gotten the hang of saying the Elder One's name. It was amusing most of the time.

Now was not one of those times.

"Be wary," Solas had warned them, "If these Seekers have been corrupted, they will have access to abilities that maybe different from what we are used to dealing with."

He gave Cassandra a concerned look.

"You should prepare yourself, Seeker," he warned, "You may not like what we find in this place."

Cassandra grunted, and drew her sword.

That is apparently what she thought of preparing herself.

The elven apostate sighed.

It was good that he had tried to reach Cassandra, but futile.

She was a woman on a mission right now.

Nothing would stop that.

Ana drew her own blade. She knew how good that Cassandra was, facing an order of hostile Seekers did not appeal to her, if they were even still here.

Leliana's scouts had found the location of a small servant's entrance in the side of the fortress. It was here that the Inquisition would breach Caer Oswin and begin the search for the Seekers.

Everyone had agreed that the front door was not really an option. If this was all a trap by Corypheus…?

Ana's eyes narrowed.

Well, it was like Cassandra said.

They would find out soon enough.