Caleb looked into the room and frowned. Salla wasn't in her bed, and Agatha's didn't even look slept in. He shrugged, and started walking towards the kitchen. After clearing a couple of full teacups off the table, he busied himself making breakfast. Melavan entered just as he'd nearly finished. "Tea?"
"Ma serannas."
"Ionai tried teaching me to make some kind of elven pastry, but we couldn't find the right spices." He offered Melavan one of the tarts. "I had to improvise."
Melavan tentatively took a bite. He gave a low chuckle. "A noble who can cook. Will wonders never cease."
"I was born a farmer." Caleb shrugged. "And so was my Papa."
"Nobility that was earned, rather than awarded." Melavan nodded. "I suppose that is -" He cut off and reached for his sword.
A moment later, Caleb heard the shouting. He tossed the tray onto the table and went for his crossbow, cursing himself for not putting on the armor. Melavan waved him aside. "Sound the alarm and run. Your folks are at the Quiet Mare Inn." The sentinel headed into the hallway.
Caleb went to do what he was told.
#
Jerath had just finished helping her don her armor when Agatha heard the shouting. Without a word, they immediately headed towards Duncan's room.
#
Leandra dove for her sword when the door was kicked open, and saw magic start to glow around Gavren's hands. She moved into a defensive position and stopped short. The men entering were dressed in the armor of Starkhaven's city guard. They began shouting at her to drop her sword, and she looked over her shoulder at Gavren. He gave her a frustrated look, but nodded, and the magic vanished from around his hands. She sighed, and dropped her sword. Immediately, their arms were grabbed, and they were dragged from the room.
#
Duncan rolled under the bed as he heard the steps coming from the hallway. The door was kicked open, and men entered. They hesitated, talking briefly. He blinked when he heard their voices. The Starkhaven guard? This was not a complication they had been expecting. Most of the men left the room to continue through the house. There was no way to get his bow into position, so he drew his knives and waited for the right moment.
Before he could go on the attack, one of the guards fell. The second started to turn, only to get tackled to the ground by Jerath. A solid blow to the man's jaw put him down. Duncan immediately rolled out of his hiding place and to his feet, nocking an arrow as he did so.
Agatha shook her head. "I get the sense you boys have done this a few times."
"It's almost boring at this point." Duncan shrugged before he and Jerath followed her out of the room.
#
"Trouble." Tisallan's head came up.
Salla saw the guards coming and immediately put up a barrier. She felt Kieran reinforce it, and it shimmered in front of them. The lead guard narrowed his eyes, and looked over his shoulder. "Get the templars."
"Kieran, they are the city guard." She whispered the words.
"You do not wish to hurt them." He nodded in acknowledgment.
"That complicates things." Tisallan practically growled the words.
"They aren't the bad guys. We need to get out of here."
"Right." Kieran stepped in front of them both. "Hang on."
A moment later, they were clinging to the neck of a griffin as it launched itself into the sky to the shock of the staring guards.
#
Caleb saw guards taking Loghain and Alai to the room with the others. Gavren and Leandra were already there. Delaon and Ionai were on the roof. They helped Trian out the window. Kels went next, and started to gesture for Caleb to follow. He was heading that way when he heard a shout of protest.
He turned to see a guard raising his sword on Lord Hendry. As the blade started to come down, Melavan's blade caught it as he interposed himself between them, and he kicked the guard back. "Go." The sentinel shouted, and Lord Hendry stumbled backwards and started to flee, blood pouring down the side of his face. Caleb caught his arm and shoved him at Kels just as an arrow caught Melavan in the side. The sentinel crumbled, and Caleb saw a familiar face.
"Get him out." Caleb turned back, ignoring Kels shouting after him. As the archer aimed another arrow at the wounded sentinel, Caleb stepped between them, holding up his hands in a warding gesture. "Sebastian!"
The tip of the arrow wavered, and then the archer lowered the bow. "Caleb?"
#
"Maker's breath!" Alistair stared at the burning estate. Men and women wearing the armor of the Starkhaven city guard stood, clearly on guard. "What happened?"
"The guard raided it, on orders of the Prince himself." Zevran shook his head. "They took several prisoners, one of whom had a dragon tattoo."
"Loghain." Cullen stared at the flames.
"We need to move. They are searching the area for the ones that escaped." Zevran gestured.
#
Gavren examined Melavan's wound. Very little blood was coming from it, but he was pretty sure that was because the arrow itself was staunching the wound. If the sentinel moved wrong, or he tried to pull the arrow out, Melavan would bleed out quickly. Even if he'd had bandages and potions, there would still be little he could do. A wound like this required magic. Or a lot of luck, and luck wasn't exactly their strong point. As the number of templars guarding them could attest. "You'll be fine."
"You are a very poor liar," Melavan replied.
"That's why I prefer chess to diamondback." He looked up at Caleb. "Tell them without healing, this man will be dead in a couple hours."
Caleb immediately stood and went to talk to the guards. He argued with them for several minutes before one of them left. Caleb began pacing the length of the cell they'd been tossed inside. Gavren turned to look at the others. Leandra was unharmed, as was Noamin. Loghain and Alai had been less cooperative captives. Both had amassed a collection of bruises. Kels had a knot on his head from where he'd been struck. Alai had a broken arm, and Loghain was nursing fractured ribs in addition to a dislocated shoulder. Out of the dozen guards that had dragged the two in, only two hadn't had to go seek a healer of their own.
The others had either escaped, or... He didn't want to think about the 'or'.
He had Leandra hold Loghain while he put the man's shoulder back into place. Loghain grunted, but nodded in thanks. He knelt next to Alai, but as far as he could tell, the break was clean. Without anything to set it, there was little he could do.
#
"Was anyone killed?" Cullen paced the room. Alistair was clearly trying not to do the same thing.
Brehan opened his mouth to answer when another voice spoke up. "Possibly." Trian entered, followed by two sentinels carrying a bleeding human man between them. "Kels took a gauntlet to the head trying to go back for Caleb, and Melavan was hurt badly."
"Trian?" Alistair strode towards the dwarf and began checking him for injuries. "Are you..." He stared at the two elves, and frowned.
Trian turned. "These are Delaon and Ionai. Lady Lenore, please, Lord Hendry needs healing."
"Lord Hendry." Cullen nodded at the name.
At Lenore's direction, the two elves laid Lord Hendry on a bench. Fenris and Brehan immediately stepped forward to divest the sentinels of their weapons. Neither protested the action. Trian, however... "King Alistair, these are allies. I'd be dead if not for them."
Alistair nodded. "They've surrendered, and will be treated fairly. But until we know what is going on, they will be remaining prisoners."
"So start telling us what is going on." Hawke folded his arms.
#
Agatha leaped the gap between roofs, catching Jerath's hand. He pulled her up easily. "Well?" Duncan asked.
"They've got three sentinels in there, one of whom is hurt bad." She frowned. "No dwarven prisoner, so Trian apparently made it out. I heard a couple templars talking about someone shape shifting into griffin and flying off with a woman and an elf. Pretty sure that would be Kieran and Salla, your guess is as good as mine as to which elf."
"Any idea where Trian would head?" Duncan looked at his companions.
"Well, he's smart." Jerath shrugged. "Straight to our folks, I imagine."
"You think we should do the same thing?" Duncan frowned, and then shook his head. "We have armor and weapons."
"So..." Agatha raised an eyebrow. "What, you want to storm the jail?"
"No." Duncan shrugged. "I want to find Kieran and Salla. Then storm the jail."
"He sucks at politics." Agatha turned towards Jerath, who just rolled his eyes.
#
Leliana paced her office. It had been difficult, returning to Val Royeaux with her friends still in need. At least with the crystals, they could remain in touch. She'd just finished speaking with Dorian, an unfortunately unproductive conversation.
The crystal she'd been given by Agatha suddenly glowed, and she swept it up in her hand. "I'm here."
Her eyes narrowed at Brehan's tersely given report. "Prince Vael took them prisoner?"
"We don't even know how he learned they were there in the first place." Brehan sounded furious. There was a murmur, and Cullen's voice came again. "My guess is either the cultists or Fen'Harel's sentinels tipped him off."
"A demand from the Sunburst Throne will make the prince see reason."
"It had better. Otherwise..." Brehan sighed. "They are holding it together right now, but I've a room full of angry parents about to declare an Exalted March of their own."
"We can at least let Saitada know that Trian is alright."
#
Kieran stood with his head tilted, as if he was listening to the wind. Salla watched silently until he nodded and turned towards them. He took a deep breath. "Melavan is injured. Without healing, he is going to die. Some of the others are injured as well, but they should recover from their wounds. Caleb, Gavren, Leandra, Kels, Loghain, Noamin, Melavan, and Alai are prisoners."
"That was Sebastian with the guard." Salla shook her head. "Why would he..." She growled. "Oh for the love of..." She gestured angrily. "This can't still be about Anders."
"He still hasn't withdrawn the bounty on your father," Tisallan said.
"And now he has my brother." Salla let out a breath. "No. Despite that, I can't see Sebastian hurting them. Not Caleb, not any of the others."
"I am not as certain." Kieran's voice was quiet.
"It's also possible that this Sebastian is just a tool of the cult." Tisallan looked back towards the city. "Either blood magic or the Formless One could have clouded his mind. Especially with that rage to build upon."
"He hates the song so much he would play the same tune." Kieran shook his head. "We will need to find the others. The coda is being written."
#
Caleb walked to the bars of the cell when he saw the man in white armor. There was a trace of gray along Sebastian's temples, but his face was unlined. "Sebastian."
One of the guards growled, and he struck the bars with the flat of his blade. "That's Prince Vael to you, rat."
"Enough." Sebastian's voice rang out. "Caleb." He nodded. "When they told me you were among the agents, I did not wish to believe it was true."
"Agents?" Caleb raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Who told you?" He shook his head. "Never mind." He gestured. "Melavan, the man you shot. He needs healing."
"The demon worshiping elf?" Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "I thought better of you, Caleb."
"Melavan doesn't worship any demons." Caleb shook his head.
Sebastian shook his head gravely, and turned to the man in templar armor next to him. "Separate this one from the others. I would be certain his mind is his own."
"Yes, your grace." The templar moved to the door of the cell.
Caleb immediately stepped back and folded his arms. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I don't want to hurt you, Caleb." Sebastian sighed. "Your mind has been clouded by these blood mages and their associates."
He retreated as the templars entered. Noamin immediately stood to interpose himself between him and the templars, and Caleb saw hands go to swords. He immediately protested. "Wait. Sebastian, wait. Call them off." He swallowed, and stepped around Noamin. Noamin frowned, and then nodded. Caleb went to the door, and let the templars pull him out. "Please, Sebastian. Don't let Melavan die."
"Your compassion does you credit." Sebastian nodded. "I fear, however, it may be misplaced."
"Please."
For a moment, Sebastian just stared at him. And then he nodded and gestured to one of the templars. "Ask one of the healers to come, and tend to the wounded."
"Thank you."