Rainier scratched the back of his head and looked at the young man leaning on the wall next to him. "Nevarra city sprawls across a dozen miles."

"Don't forget there is an entire other city beneath it." Kels nodded.

"There are over a hundred thousand people living here."

"Thousands more pass through daily."

"And..." Rainier raised an eyebrow. "How long were they in the city?"

"Twenty minutes."

Across the room, Cassandra's mouth twitched as she tried to hide a smile. Gavren, Leandra, and Loghain were sitting around a table. Gavren had his face buried in his folded arms, and Leandra was rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. Loghain was staring at Gavren with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Kels had immediately told Cassandra where the others had gone, and the Seekers were out retrieving them.

He shook his head. "And he literally ran into her?"

"Bounced off, hit the dirt." Kels sounded positively gleeful.

"Varric wouldn't write that."

"You don't have to be enjoying this quite so much." Gavren's voice was muffled by his arms.

"Yes. Yes I do." Kels' smile widened. "You kidnapped me."

"I wish I could say I was even surprised." Rainier stared down at the young man he'd last seen as an infant in arms.

"You want to know the part that is truly terrifying?" Kels raised an eyebrow.

"What's that?"

"He and Leandra Hawke..." Kels emphasized the last name. "Are courting."

"Maferath's balls. Can you imagine if they have a kid?"

Cassandra and Loghain both turned to look at Rainier with horrified expressions before breaking into laughter.

#

Caleb blinked when he saw the men in Seeker armor enter the room. How in the world...? He strode forward to meet them. "Thank the Maker you're here. I sent the message almost an hour ago."

The tallest of the half dozen men stared at him. "The message?"

"They've got a head start, we need to hurry. Come on." He started for the door, hoping to get out of the building before any of them caught a glimpse of Agatha. The men exchanged a look before following him out of the building. He dashed up the street, heading deeper into the city. As they reached the end of the block he pointed to the east and yelled at two of the men. "You, go that way, try to cut them off. You, follow me."

#

Agatha smiled as she finished picking the lock. The room was fairly well stocked, though with Caleb leading the Seekers on a wild goose chase she was going to be limited in what she could carry. A small pouch of precious gems went into her belt pouch, and she began filling her various pockets with coinpurses. A pair of silverite daggers went into her boots, and then she shut the door behind her.

Rather than risk there being a guard on the door, she went for an upstairs window, caught the edge of the roof, and hoisted herself up before running across and leaping to the next building over. She crossed the block before she risked the ground, and immediately began heading back to find Salla and the others.

#

"So much for the hot bath idea." Duncan sighed. "How did the Seekers know you'd be at the safehouse?"

"Well, considering Kels and the others aren't where we left them..." Agatha threw up her hands. "I'd say they've got a full report on our actions and intentions. In triplicate."

"Andraste's great flaming ass." Duncan kicked a bucket across the alley.

"Calm down." Salla shook her head. "They haven't dragged us back in chains yet. And they don't know everything, just what Kels overheard."

"Yeah. We'll be fine." Agatha waved a hand dismissively. "It's not like a half dozen of the world's greatest spymasters are after us or anything."

"Where's Caleb?" Jerath frowned at Agatha.

"Taking some Seekers on a tour of the city, last I saw." Agatha sighed. "Hopefully, he can lose them and find us."

"Let's figure out where the Seekers took the others, and maybe see what we can do about rescuing them." Salla started walking.

#

He circled around the inn, and picked up a few more Seekers, bringing his current total to fourteen. A woman frowned at him. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Agent Walter Marland." He shook his head at her impatiently as he paced back and forth across the alley. "Kels brother?" He tapped his foot. "I can't believe they got away from you. By now, they are halfway through the Necropolis!" He made a frustrated growling noise before stalking towards the tower.

"Maybe we should..."

Caleb spoke over her. "You and you, get the others. You, run ahead and let the Mortalitasi know we are coming. And for Andraste's sake, keep your bleeding mouth shut. Last thing we need is for everyone to know someone's planning on taking control of their blasted mummies."

He continued walking at a determined pace, hiding his smile as they followed. It appeared he was going to get his tour of the Grand Necropolis after all.

#

Kels followed Cassandra and Rainier into the next room. Cassandra glanced over her shoulder at him. "Lieutenant Hawke and his griffins are bringing Commander Cullen and a few others to retrieve the children."

He winced. "How angry is the Commander?"

"I imagine he is furious, though I doubt it is directed at you. It was clear you were not party to these events of your own volition."

"What exactly are we dealing with here?" Rainier asked.

"A cult that appears intent on picking up where the Venatori left off." Cassandra made a disgusted noise. "As if the world does not have trouble enough." She gestured dismissively. "Sometime between now and the next sixteen years they manage to acquire themselves power of some kind, power sufficient to tear a hole in time. We must stop them before they achieve this."

"Alright." Rainier straightened. "Where do we start?"

"House Brosca's agents were watching a few cultists. They recently went on the move. Something is occurring, but we know not what." She looked back at Kels. "Kieran said he knew where the Formless One was?"

"Nessum. He wasn't more specific than that, but it's near the border between Orlais and Tevinter."

"Which fits with our information." Cassandra nodded.

"How big is this cult?"

"Small, as of yet." Cassandra frowned. "Oddly, it appears to be led by an elven woman. A mage."

"An elf?" Kels raised an eyebrow. "Then could it have something to do with Fen'Harel?"

"Considering he is the one that told us about the Formless One, that is not something we can rule out."

Rainier sighed. "And The Warden sent Kieran to deal with the matter?" He shook his head. "I remember Kieran. He came down to the stables once and as near as I can tell, had a conversation with one of those big deer."

"Tell me about Kieran." Cassandra turned towards Kels.

"He's..." Kels considered. "Well, he's a shapeshifter. Turned into a giant spider and kicked the crap out of some bandits. He's..." He shrugged. "He seems like a nice, polite fellow, if a bit odd. And no, it's not lost on me who else that would have described."

Cassandra shoved a piece of parchment at him. "Write down everything you recall him saying. We do not know what Lenore or Brehan might find of use, and both are on their way. I am going to go question the others."

#

Gavren stared down at the table. The Lady Seeker had separated the three of them, taking them each to different rooms. He hadn't been waiting long when she entered, and stood across the table from him. She started to pace back and forth.

He sighed. "Why don't we get this over with, and you just ask the question you came in here to ask?"

Her eyes narrowed. "And what would that be?"

He met her eyes steadily. "The same one I've seen in your eyes every time we've spoken for the past eleven years."

They stared at each other as the silence crept around the room. "Very well. According to Divine Victoria, Prince Duncan referred to you as the Dread Wolf's apprentice." She folded her arms and glared, her voice sharp. "What did he mean by this?"

"He meant I am the Dread Wolf's apprentice." He leaned back in the chair, his eyes not leaving hers. "I am also the son of Ruya Trevelyan and Cullen Rutherford, and I grew weary of having my loyalty questioned a very long time ago."

She leaned on the table. "Then I suggest you clarify, immediately."

"Or what? You'll stab some inanimate objects?" He shook his head. "'Blessed are the righteous, the lights in the shadow.' Do you think I have any fear of the woman who taught me what that means? Ask your questions, Aunt Cassie. But don't try to threaten me. I know us both far too well for that to work."

Cassandra's eyes widened. "I..." She shook her head, and nodded. "Yes. I see your point. Please, what did Duncan mean when he called you the Dread Wolf's apprentice?"

"My magic manifested when I was seven. I called up fire." He looked down at the table's surface, tracing the pattern of the wood grain with his eyes. "Two weeks later, the nightmares started. A week after that they started happening while I was awake. I hurled fire at things only I could see, and..." Gavren shook his head.

There was a scrapping sound as she pulled out a chair to sit across from him. "You tore the veil."

"More like shredded. Had it occurred anywhere other than Skyhold, with Inquisition soldiers and templars..." He folded his hands and set them on the table. "When the Grand Enchanter learned what was happening, she tried to insist I be made tranquil. That was the last time she and Mother ever spoke to each other. Father and Aunt Minaeve kept me sedated, but the magic was driving me insane. It was killing me." He met her eyes again. "There was one being in Thedas who could help. He did."

"Fen'Harel."

"Solas pulled Mother into the Fade. Told her what was happening was because she bore the anchor while she was bearing me. And that he was sorry."

"What happened?"

"She woke to find my bedroom empty."

"He took you." Sympathy warred with concern on her face.

"To Elven ruins, in mountains we've yet to locate in the waking world. I believe you visited the location once."

She nodded. "His sanctuary."

"He taught me to control my magic. To guide the flow rather than be swept away by it. To staunch it before it drowned me." Gavren took a deep breath. "Three months later, I woke in Skyhold once more. The official story is that I was taken to a secure location until my 'ailment' passed."

Silence entered the room once more. He watched Cassandra try to decide what to make of the story. Over a decade had passed in his time, and she was no closer. And then she asked the same question she always did when they encountered each other. "Is there anything you learned of his plans? Anything that could help us?"

"No."

"Was that the last time you saw him?"

He considered not answering. Considered lying. "No. From time to time I would enter the Fade and find him there, waiting with another lesson, building upon what he had first taught me as I grew stronger." There was more than a trace of bitterness in his smile. "I've thought a thousand times about turning away when he appears. But there is always the chance he'll let something slip. Teach me something I can use against him. Perhaps he has, and I simply don't know it yet. Or perhaps he's using me to further his own ends."

She nodded. "And how did Duncan learn of this situation?"

"The Sparrow learned to fly from Nightingale, Raven, and Crow."

Realization dawned in Cassandra's eyes. "Agatha Amell." She shook her head. "Where are the others?"

"Thedas."

#

"Do you have any idea the kind of abomination we are dealing with here?" Caleb gestured dramatically. "Maker's breath man, have you left this building in past seven years? Heard of the Imperium?"

The mortalitasi attendant might have been more likely to question him if he hadn't entered the sanctum accompanied by two dozen grim-faced and battle-ready Seekers of Truth. If memory served, that was currently the majority of the order. The man came out from behind the desk and began unlocking the massive iron door. Hopefully, by now Agatha would have made it back to the others and they'd have a good head start. Might as well see how much time he could buy them. The mortalitasi opened the door.

Caleb stepped past the threshhold, and then turned back to the mortalitasi. "Well?"

"Well?"

He gestured into the catacombs. "We are talking the Exalted Age. We don't have time to go blundering about. Do you want them to get there first?"

"No, no of course not." The man grabbed a staff and some kind of glowing light and started leading them inside.

And now he had a tour guide. This day was starting to look up.

#

Cassandra glared across the table. Leandra glared right back. "Seeker, my mother learned her magic from Mythal, my father went into battle at the side of an archdemon, and I'm sleeping with the apprentice of the Dread Wolf. You think you scare me?"

#

The stories were right. The Grand Necropolis was an underground city. A city filled entirely with the dead. He followed the mortalitasi's glowing lantern. Now and then they passed alcoves with bodies seated on them. Sometimes the heads of the corpses would turn to follow them. The Seekers following him occasionally jumped at scraping noises. He adjusted the collar of his tunic to block the scent of moldy incense and decay.

He'd lost track of time when the mortalitasi finally came to a stop. "We have reached the tombs of the Exalted age, my lord." The aged man frowned, and adjusted his light to touch the ground. The dust was thick. "No one has been down here from some time."

"Good. We got here first." He glanced around. The architecture was different from the earlier catacombs. The mosaics depicted battles against darkspawn. If the Qunari hadn't invaded Par Vollen until the Steel Age, how had there been ogres during the Exalted age? Maybe the mosaics had been added later. "This was built just after the time of the Fourth Blight, yes?"

"My lord..." The Seeker woman with the silver knot on her shoulder stepped forward. "Who gave you your information?"

Caleb grinned.

#

Cassandra stabbed a dagger into the table. "You will tell me what I need to know."

Loghain shrugged. "You have very lovely breasts."

#

Kels watched Cassandra pace back and forth in front of over twenty very shame-faced Seekers and one completely unrepentant Caleb. At least when the Commander showed up, he wouldn't be on latrine duty alone. Outside the window, the shadows had lengthened into full darkness. "You followed him through the city and the Necropolis for six hours?"

"We..." A woman with a silver knot on her shoulder started to speak, and then shook her head. "We have no excuse, Lady Seeker."

"No. You do not." She folded her arms, and then went back to pacing. "I must go to the Mortalitasi and make apologies." She drove her finger into the woman's breastplate. "You will stay here and make sure nothing else goes wrong." She started for the door. Rainier hesitated before following her.

Caleb looked around and his captors. "Well, that was fun. No hard feelings?" From the glares, there were a lot of hard feelings. "So, who is hungry?" He clapped his hands. "I make a mean fish and egg pie."

#

Agatha climbed back down from the roof. Salla raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"It's grown quiet in there. It's possible we could sneak in." Agatha frowned. "I'm not exactly willing to fight Seekers though."

"No." Salla sighed. "They may be hindering us, but they are friends." She turned to Kieran. "Maybe you could shapeshift into something and get in there?"

"I don't think that's going to be necessary." Duncan called back softly from where he was peering around the corner. He stepped out into the open and waved.

Caleb, Gavren, Leandra, and Loghain entered the alley a moment later. Loghain had an unconscious Kels slung over his shoulder. Caleb nodded when he saw her. "We've got to get moving. Cassandra could be back any minute."

"Right." Salla gestured to the west. "We've got horses. Come on." She frowned at Loghain. "How'd you get the black eye?"

#

"You mean to tell me that after he led them on a wild goose chase through the necropolis, they let him cook them dinner?" Brehan rubbed the back of his head as he stared at Cassandra.

"I cannot believe this." Alistair glared into the room that contained some of what were supposed to be the finest warriors in Thedas. Those that had regained consciousness appeared to be nursing headaches. Hawke was tending to them, though he appeared somewhat less than sympathetic to their suffering.

"They are your children!" Cassandra's face was belligerent as she came to the defense of her followers.

Carver turned towards Fenris. "You know, in times like these, I can't help but think..."

"This is all Varric's fault?" Fenris raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly."

Sera cackled. "I am recruiting the shit out of that kid."

Isabela immediately shook her head. "I saw him first."

Cullen sighed, and then looked around the room again. "Where is Kels?"