Trian held up some documents. "They've got maps of the area. Now we know where we are going, at least." He glanced at the two bound slavers. "Though they tried to keep their ledger in code."

"So we don't have information?" Salla raised an eyebrow.

"I said they tried." Trian smirked. "Moving everything over one letter does not a cipher make." He narrowed his eyes. "They managed to trap the dragon shortly after moving in here. Apparently, they thought it was good sport to throw prisoners to it as an example to the others."

The slavers immediately began speaking up, claiming they had information in return for being released. Salla felt anger starting to give way to contempt. "Find out what they know, and then we'll leave them for the Seekers to find." She shook her head. "Cowards."

She walked over to check on Leandra. The wound in her shoulder already looked weeks healed, and she was fairly confident she'd prevented a scar. She did a quick check of Leandra's range of motion. "Well?" Leandra raised an eyebrow.

"No whacking people with giant swords for a day or so, and I think you'll be fine." Salla rose. "Let's find a place to camp, preferably where the escapees won't lead our folks right back to us, and go over what we've found."

#

Duncan leaned on the wall and slid down to sit next to Jerath. Jerath turned to stare at him. Duncan shrugged sheepishly. "Yes, I wandered off without you." When Jerath continued staring, he sighed. "And someone got hurt. I know better. And I'm sorry." When the stare continued, he shook his head. "We take chances all the time."

"That was a stupid one."

"I don't go off alone." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Maferath's balls. You do remember which of us gives the orders, right?"

"When it comes to your safety?" Jerath narrowed his eyes. "I do. Leandra could have been killed."

"She's a fighter."

"She's not yet twenty one, and she is not a soldier." Jerath sighed, and leaned his head against the wall. "I should not have allowed myself to be distracted. I apologize, your majesty."

"Oh for fuck's..." Duncan banged his head into his knees. "Anya was right." He saw the shadow descend over his best friend's face. "Shit, Jerath. I'm sorry. That was unworthy of me." He wrapped his arms around his knees.

"She was right." Jerath's voice was quiet.

He didn't want to think about that possibility. "You killed a dragon today, and you're mad at yourself because you didn't take an arrow." Duncan sighed. "You're crazy, you know that right?"

"After twenty four years of dealing with you?"

"Hey, that was almost a joke. You take a blow to the head or something?" Duncan grinned, and shook his head. After a moment, he nodded. "I don't say it often enough. Thank you."

#

Alistair looked up as Carver entered the common room. "Any luck?"

"My riders have yet to spot them." Carver made a growling noise. "Even close to the road, the trees are thick enough to make it difficult to spot them from the air." He waved a hand. "I checked in with Cassandra. Her people think they found a couple of their campsites."

"They are on their way here then." Hawke nodded.

"They've arrived." Both of them turned at the sound of Brehan's voice.

"How do you know?" Alistair raised an eyebrow.

"There are catacombs beneath the city, some of which were home to a slaver operation." Brehan glanced down at the parchment in his hand. "At least until a..." He took a deep breath. "Fire breathing bear broke down the door. Testimony includes magic being tossed around, dwarves, elves, and someone jumping on the back of a dragon."

Carver put a hand over his face. Lenore buried her face in Hawke's shoulder as she started to laugh. Hawke turned his head to look at Fenris. "Our babies are all grown up and taking down slavers."

"This is one of the proudest days of my life." Fenris smiled.

"Who jumped on the dragon?" Lenore managed to get out.

"Witnesses say it was a red haired guy."

"Oh for..." Alistair shook his head. "Nesiara just had to pick that name, didn't she?"

"At least he's living up to it." Sigrun smiled.

"I've got people sweeping the area right now. We're not far behind." Brehan nodded. "I'm heading back out."

"We're coming to," Cullen said.

#

"What do you suppose this building used to be?" Caleb looked around, walking backwards for a moment.

"A temple," Kieran replied. He ran his fingers over some of the faded engravings on the wall.

"Really?" Caleb looked over at him. "One of the..." He stopped, and looked around again. "Are we standing in a temple to you?"

Kieran tilted his head to the side, his eyes half closed. "Water ran down the wall, flowing through bells and moving the pieces, a perpetual symphony, winding down through pools, reflecting and refracting light through colored windows. Light, color, sound, blending in harmony, dancing as the wind changed."

"It sounds beautiful." Salla looked around, imagining it.

"It was." He frowned, and wrinkled his nose. "There is discordance to the echoes."

"What does that mean?" Kels glanced back at him from where he had explored a few feet further ahead.

"We are not alone in here."

Caleb snapped his fingers. "Oh. That's how you knew they were here. They holed up in your temple."

"They sought something inside."

"What?" Salla asked.

"I..." Kieran frowned. He shook his head, and then shook it again. His voice sounded surprised. "I do not know. A staff?" He tilted his head again. "I have no memory of this."

"Wait." Gavren walked back towards him. "If it's your temple, shouldn't you know?"

"Yes."

"You were asleep a really long time though." Agatha said.

"My sleep was not dreamless. I explored the reflections of the Fade, seeking, learning. I could hear but not answer, feel but not touch, not until awakened and..." Kieran frowned. "We do not like to think of how we awakened." He shook his head. "This was my temple. Its memories should not be denied to me."

"Then how did come you can't remember?"

Kieran broke into a wide smile. "I have absolutely no idea whatsoever."

Duncan blinked. "And you're happy about that?"

"Well, yes." Kieran spread his hands. "Do you know how rare it is for me to find a mystery in this world?"

#

Magister Arenda joined them in heading into the catacombs. Following the trail the children had left was not particularly difficult. Pieces of a broken door hung off the remains of the hinges. "Subtlety is not their strong point, is it?" Hawke looked around.

"Says the apostate who fireballed an Arishok in front of the entire noble court of Kirkwall."

"The templar that failed to notice I was a mage up until that point should really not be making smart remarks."

Cullen shook his head as he entered the chamber. He frowned. Two of the cells appeared to be occupied by bound, gagged, naked men with the word 'slaver' written on their foreheads.

"They left us souvenirs," Fenris noted.

"How thoughtful." Hawke smiled.

"Who..." Magister Arenda turned a slow circle. "Who exactly are we tracking here? I have never sensed residual magic anything like this before."

He was about to say something when he heard an exclamation from Brehan. He strode in that direction. A section of hallway was coated in mostly congealed blood. Tiny bits of bone, skin, and hair were speckled through the mess. He wrinkled his nose. "Sigrun?" Brehan called over his shoulder.

The Warden shook her head. "I don't sense any Blight, if that's what you are concerned about."

"Didn't think so." Brehan shook his head. "And it doesn't look like demonic corruption either. I've not seen anything quite like this before."

"Kieran dealing with a threat?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Brehan shrugged. "Hawke?"

"It was definitely magic." Hawke frowned. "The closest..." He shook his head.

"Hawke?" Cullen raised an eyebrow.

"Well, frankly, the closest I've sensed to anything like these residual traces is from when I was at Adamant."

"You're saying this magic is similar to the magic used by Solas?" Cullen felt a slight chill along his spine. Whatever Kieran was, he was not the mage that had been trained by the Dread Wolf. Had his son done this?

Hawke met his eyes, and there was concern on the other man's face. "Yes."

"Let's..." Cullen shook his head. "Let's find them."

"I've got something." Fenris held up a piece of parchment. "A helpful someone left us a note."

#

Salla saw Kieran's eyes narrow at the sight of the shattered altar. From the looks of things, it had been broken recently. He knelt, and touched some of the fragments. She knelt beside him. "Are you alright?"

"This was done in anger." He half-closed his eyes, tilting his head to one side. "Focused rage, and mocking pride. And beneath all that, envy and desire." His eyes snapped open. "Hate."

"Is it hurting you?" She put a hand on his shoulder.

"No. I am human as well." He rose. "That part of me understands. They want more than can be given."

"What do they want?"

He shook his head. "Their prayers to have been answered."

She frowned, and glanced at where Duncan was helping search another part of the temple. "King Alistair prayed to your father, and he answered."

"King Alistair asked a friend for help. It is not the same thing." Kieran shook his head. "And I do not yet appear to have fixed anything." He tilted his head. "They are that way." He pointed down one of the corridors.

#

Agatha peered down from the balcony. There were over a hundred people gathered below, at least half of which looked like they could pose a decent threat. And a dozen of those were mages. Slowly, she crept back to the others and reported what she had seen. "There were elves among them, but none carrying staffs."

"And the demon?" Salla glanced over her shoulder at Kieran.

"There are abominations among those below..." He shook his head. "I do not think they are the ones we seek."

"So, what's the plan?" Loghain raised an eyebrow. "Head down, introduce ourselves, politely ask them to tell us their entire plan and then take us to their leader?"

"That never works." Leandra shrugged.

"We need some kind of plan. They have the advantage of this being their turf and we are outnumbered."

"No." Kieran shook his head.

"What do you mean no?" Salla glanced back at him.

"They may have numbers." He narrowed his eyes. "But this is my temple."

#

"Excuse me?"

Several of the cultists stood as Caleb walked towards them. They gave him questioning looks, and some of them glanced at one of the people with a staff as if wondering what they should do. "Where did you come from?" One asked.

"Kirkwall." He shrugged. "Do you mind telling me your entire plan and then taking me to your leader?"

Weapons were drawn and the cultists began moving towards him. "Just kill him." The older man with the staff said, waving a hand dismissively.

Caleb called back over his shoulder. "It didn't work."

"Told you." Leandra yelled back.

Beneath his feet the ground shook. The patterns inlaid in the floor suddenly began to glow, crisscrossing the room and connecting back and forth between the ancient statues that stood quietly in alcoves. Or had stood quietly in alcoves. There was the groaning sound of twisted metal, and the statues began to move. Two stepped into protective positions on either side of him.

#

Salla focused her magic into directed fire, providing her more martial companions with cover as they surged forward. The statues were too badly degraded by time for their magic to last long, but the advantage they'd provided was considerable. Nearly a quarter of the cultists simply broke and ran when the temple came to life around them. She really couldn't blame them. After over a thousand years, an old god was taking the field once more. If he hadn't been on their side, she'd probably need a change of clothes right now.

A faint glow surrounded Kieran as he focused on his own magic. A similar glow surrounded each of the warriors going into battle. She could feel the spell on her own skin, lifting and enhancing her own magic, making her stronger and faster than ever before. The spells came almost effortlessly. Two enemy mages started to try to focus their own spells only for a surge of energy from Jerath to cancel the spells before they had fully formed. She wasn't sure who was more surprised by that, him or the mages.

Three of the remaining mages and four warriors joined the group fleeing. Salla started to gesture for her companions to follow when the statues started to crumple. She saw Duncan put a final arrow in one of the cultists before turning to catch Kieran as he started to slump. Jerath turned back to his king and gestured to her. "I've got them."

"Right. The rest of you with me." Salla waved her staff in the direction the surviving cultists had run.

#

Duncan nodded as Caleb got his shoulder under Kieran's other arm. Jerath kept his sword at the ready as they followed the planned route out of the temple to the rendezvous point. They'd gone about a third of the way when Kieran managed to get his feet back under him. "You alright?" Duncan gave him a concerned look.

"I will be fine."

"We've got lyrium vials." Caleb began rummaging through his pockets.

"Lyrium gives me a headache." Kieran replied. He glanced at Jerath. "You are a templar."

"King Alistair taught me." Jerath nodded. "It's just..." He frowned. "I've never used lyrium, so it has never really worked before."

"King Alistair is a very good teacher. He taught my father as well." Kieran let go of Duncan and began walking unaided.

"Hey..." Caleb blinked. "That's why Uncle Carver doesn't need lyrium to knock Papa out, isn't it? Cause of your father?"

"It was an accident. Father didn't know what he was, then, when he started changing them. He did not even realize he was doing it until it happened." Kieran frowned before glancing at Jerath. "What I have done will fade. I won't be able to make it last until I'm me again. I'm sorry."

"We just successfully defeated ten to one odds, and you're apologizing?" Duncan gave him a disbelieving look.

#

Agatha went up the stairs and launched herself off the landing to hit one of the fleeing cultists with a flying tackle. The speed and strength Kieran had imbued them with inside the temple still appeared to be working. She brought her fist down on the base of his skull, clubbing him into unconsciousness before moving to catch up with the others.

The tunnel had emerged into a large warehouse. Some of the cultists had tried to regroup. Leandra charged, Kels on one side, Loghain on the other. Trian remained back, his shield between any potential attackers and their mages. She was making her way towards helping the warriors when there was a massive blast of fire. She started to scream and realized Salla's enhanced barrier had held. The warriors were dazed and injured, but alive. Two mages stood on a ledge, their arms dripping with blood.

A heartbeat later the mages, the ledge, the stairs beneath the ledge, the wall, and a large section of the neighboring building had gone away. Gavren stood with his hand outstretched. She caught a glimpse of an elven woman and a tall, thin man with glowing eyes before part of the wall collapsed to obscure where they had been standing.

Salla was shouting, and Agatha looked up to realize the rest of the building was starting to come down as well. She ran to help Trian get the others back on their feet before the building collapsed on top of them.

#

Cullen shook his head when he surveyed the wreckage of what had been two warehouses. Magister Arenda was staring, her expression frankly dumbfounded. He turned back to the witness. "You say the mage that did this was a young blond man?"

"Yes, serah." The worker gulped.

He felt Carver's hand on his shoulder. "You know, I had my doubts at first." Carver shook his head as he looked at the still burning wreckage. "But I think your boy is going to fit into the family just fine."