Chapter 11: Open Communication

Halward invited him out for dinner.

Dorian declined.

He had no real plans, but he made an excuse anyway. He assumed Halward had gotten wind of Maevaris and Lucrezia's involvement with him, and felt the need to attempt to exert his influence. As if Dorian cared what his father thought.

Now what Maevaris thought, on the other hand…

He took a quick dinner in his chambers and then headed out to the Archives. While he knew that even the records of the Magisterium would likely be biased, at least they'd give him some more insight into what the Lucerni were trying to accomplish. He still had to figure out a way to balance his world. If the Lucerni had the end goal of undermining the status quo, and he joined with them, there was no way Theo could be in Tevinter with him. But if he wanted to have Theo in Tevinter with him, it would have to be somewhere quiet and remote, perhaps outside of Qarinus-maybe even the Pavus estate, if he could convince his mother to move to Minrathous… but it would mean he couldn't be in Minrathous helping the Lucerni the way he would need to.

Dorian sighed as he slipped into the archive chambers. What was that the Orlesians said about having cake, and eating it too?

Most Magisters were out for dinner, leaving only scribes and pages down here. The scribes were tasked with making extra copies of the transcripts of hearings and proceedings, some of which would stay in Minrathous; others would be sent to other Circles for safekeeping. Dorian didn't doubt that there was some secret record repository somewhere in the south. The Imperium didn't like the idea of fading into obscurity.

He'd been in the archives a few times as Alexius's student, digging up transcripts and case studies to assist his mentor when an important vote was upcoming. The smell of old paper and dust was pleasant to him. When he'd first come to Skyhold he'd spent much time in the library, remembering the smell of old books and dust and papers from his time in the Circles of Tevinter; now he closed his eyes and allowed himself one moment to picture Skyhold's library before heading to the area where the more recent documents were stored.

Dorian didn't quite know what he was looking for, so he just pulled a transcript from the last time the full senate met and started skimming. The entire document was written in Tevene; if anyone from the south, not versed in the language, got ahold of these, they'd mean nothing. Clever.

It was the same boring tripe as always, though he did catch a gem at the end: a proposal to give Laetan mages, especially first generation ones, more opportunity. If the Tevinter Imperium is to be the land of magic, in opposition to the Southern Lands and their backward ways, it is proposed that any Laetan mage be admitted for study to an Imperial Circle. It was co-signed by Maevaris and Lucrezia.

Theoretically Laetan mages were not barred entry to the Circles. But education was costly, and few soporati families had the means to support a Circle education for very long, not unless the student could prove him or herself and gain a sponsorship to subsidize the costs. What Mae and Lucrezia were suggesting was going to cost money. If there was one thing Tevinter's elite hated more than anything, it was knowing that their money wasn't going to be making them richer.

Still, it was a worthy goal and quite spirited, and while it hadn't made the vote that day, it was possible that it could come up at the next Senate session. Halward had told him it wouldn't be until the end of the month. Dorian could possibly still be here. It would be interesting to see how it went down. He had once declared he wanted to make Tevinter a better place: scour the corruption from the Magisterium, turn focus away from the distraction that was Seheron…

Dorian replaced the documents and headed back out into the warm evening. The salty breeze off the Nocen Sea was tangy and a bit sweet. The dinner rush at the cafes was long past, and only a few patrons here and there sipped wine and nibbled at tapas while they spoke to one another in low voices.

A Minrathous relatively free from corruption. What would that be like? Mages filling the halls of the Imperial Circles, learning and becoming more powerful and eventually helping to rebuild Tevinter as a major power player. Changing the world for the better.

He'd often teased Theo for being too sentimental whenever he got that way, but maybe the Inquisitor had been onto something.

Dorian turned down an alley he knew would lead him back to his apartments, but stopped when he heard footsteps behind him. He smiled and felt his mana flare. "Whomever you are, if you'd like to have a conversation, you need only ask." He turned to face a larger man, rather beefy for a mage. His back was to the lights, so his face was shrouded in shadow. Dorian felt the waves of mana rolling off of him, but was not intimidated. It was clearly for show. Fortunately Dorian had both showmanship and skill on his side, and he had fought far worse.

"Titus Magnus," the man said. He leaned a shoulder against the wall. "And I know who you are," he said before Dorian could give his customary, flourishing introduction. "You're Inquisition." The tip of his staff lit up bright lyrium-blue.

"And an Altus, born and bred," Dorian added, annoyed. "If you have issues with the Inquisition I'm afraid there's a bit of a queue. It may be a wait."

Magnus stepped forward, his staff still glowing. Dorian adjusted his grip on his own staff. "The Archives are of no matter to the Inquisition."

"I'm no Magister," Dorian said, adding thank the Maker silently. "But the Archives are public." Of course, most of the public was illiterate, meaning that mostly Magisters, Altuses, Laetans, and wealthy, educated soporati would find any use for the Archives. His own staff glowed deep purple. "If you mean to duel me over what is my right as both an Altus and a diplomatic envoy, perhaps we should take it to an arena?"

Magnus swept his staff in an arc before him and a wall of ice sprang from the ground. Dorian held up his hand and a jet of flame shot out and hit the wall full force, melting a large chunk of the center. "I find it easier to converse without visible barriers between us, if it's all the same to you," he said, growing irritated. "Or did you not learn that etiquette in your Circle?"

"You were kicked out of nearly every Circle you attended, so I'm not sure what you learned," Magnus said. His staff flared and he pulled back his hand, then punched the air before him. Dorian barely got a barrier up before the stone fist spell slammed into him. His shield wavered but held. "You have no business here, Pavus," Magnus told him. "Your movement about the city has not gone unnoticed, and you'd do well to either keep different company, or to run south to mingle with the fops and dog lords again."

Now Dorian wanted to know more than ever just what Maevaris and Lucrezia were up to, if his investigations, even shallow as they were, ended up with people like Titus Magnus threatening him. Dorian had spent so much of his youth sneaking around, hiding his true self; he hadn't come home after all he'd experienced just to crawl back into that shell again. He planted his staff and a ball of electricity glowed overhead. Magnus focused his dispel charm on that while Dorian called forth the Fade spirits of death, invoking sadness and fear and terror.

The violently violet shades fanned out around him and advanced upon Titus Magnus. They converged on him just as he dispelled the ball of lightning. Dorian held out his hand and they paused, looking back at him for direction. Magnus's face was pale in the blue and purple lights of their staves. "Stand down, Magnus," he said.

Magnus was shaking, visibly terrified as the aura of fear rolled out and around him. "You… You don't have any authority."

"I do. Stand down."

Dorian longed to spin around in indignation, but forced himself to continue staring down Magnus. "Magister Pavus," he said without looking.

"Ambassador Pavus," Halward said in greeting, standing at Dorian's side. "Titus Magnus, you will stand down now, and you will not threaten Tevinter's political guests in an unsanctioned, and frankly tasteless back alley duel."

Dorian subtly called the spirits back to him and let them dissipate into the Fade. Magnus seemed to relax, but still looked pale and shaken. "Catullus will hear of this," he said, straightening up and smoothing his robes before spinning on his heel and stalking off.

Dorian sighed. "I suppose I'm obligated to thank you, though I could have easily bested him."

Halward turned and gestured for Dorian to follow him. "I've no doubt, Dorian. No one doubts your abilities. Titus Magnus is little more than muscle and lacks finesse. But the fact that he sees fit to try to engage you in this manner is worrisome."

"Over visiting the Archives? Can he even read?"

Halward sighed. "I know you enjoy the company of Magister Tilani, and it's no secret she's been in contact with the Inquisition. Maevaris and her group are somewhat of an outlier in the Magisterium. Perhaps it would be best that you not associate with them, at least so openly, for the rest of your time here."

They were back at Dorian's apartments. Dorian laughed. "You realize that cautioning me against that makes me all the more eager to spend time with Magister Tilani."

"I do. But as your father I cannot help but still feel some need to counsel you." His dark eyes searched Dorian, hoping for a reaction, but Dorian had taught himself long ago to show nothing.

"Thank you for your assistance and your counsel, Magister Pavus," Dorian told him, bowing slightly. "Good night." He left his father standing on the sidewalk in the warm, dark night.

Whatever Maevaris and her friends were up to, it was enough to worry people. If Titus Magnus was willing to risk breaching etiquette over Dorian scouring the Archives, it was worth looking into. If his father was counseling him against working with Mae, even knowing that such a course would only encourage Dorian more, something was up. The things that Lucrezia and Maevaris and the other Lucerni were actively and vocally pursuing had stirred a sleeping dragon.

Dorian knew, after what he'd seen with the Venatori, and now with the Lucerni, that Tevinter truly was approaching a precipice of change. It was at once exciting and terrifying, and after last night he knew he needed to be part of this. Still, balancing things with Theo and with Tevinter weighed heavily on his heart.

Against his father's counsel he headed over to Maevaris's Minrathous home. Let them all see him out in the open, doing as he pleased. After his experience with Magnus the night before, he knew that strength and confidence made the establishment nervous. That was the first step. Let them know you were a threat.

"Dorian, welcome," Mae said, ushering him inside. She was dressed in a floor length silk dressing gown, even though it was late in the morning. The teal silk swished softly as she swept across the marble floor.

"I need to be here in Minrathous," he blurted out. She grinned, but he pressed on. "But I can't leave Theodane. He's more than my lover. He's more than a partner. He's the only man I'll ever truly love and I can't give that up. But I can't give up being here, either." He collapsed into one of her overstuffed chairs and buried his face in his hands. The sudden outpouring of emotion was both painful and relieving. He looked up, blinking away the warmth gathering in his eyes. "Would we be able to…"

She shook her head and sat down next to him. "Asking him to come here and live with you right now? You may as well stab him in the back yourself." Dorian nodded, knowing that was what Mae was going to say. Theo was too powerful; he was a threat through all of Thedas, regardless of how much he protested that he was not. Orlais and Ferelden were just the first to be vocal about his power. Tevinter was, as always, far more subtle in assessing its enemy, and when necessary, disposing of it.

Mae called for tea, and they sat in her study. Dorian paced and Mae listened as he thought aloud. "I could write letters, but those will be intercepted. Ravens will be shot down. I… I just don't know, Mae," he said with a sigh.

"Would you choose him over Tevinter?" she asked after a moment of silence.

Dorian closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. Theo's green eyes; his unruly dark hair; his long, strong fingers touching him in all the right places; his soft lips and the teasing non-kisses when they woke up in the morning… "Yes," he said. "I would. But…"

"It wouldn't be a permanent long-distance thing," Mae offered. "Just to help us get our footing. You're not a Magister, but you can still be of assistance."

"Could I help from abroad?" he asked hopefully. "Especially if I'm not a sitting Magister."

"Your presence here would make things far easier," she told him, and he sighed, even though she knew he was being honest.

He thought for another few moments, wracking his brain for all the things he'd studied and learned of over the years. He had heard of one thing that could work, but it was a long shot. When he told Mae about it she wrinkled her brow. "Such a thing exists. It's just… difficult to get," he explained.

She thought a moment and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "There may be someone who can help. He… has a way of procuring rare goods, and knows the value of discretion. I'll see if we might have an appointment with him and see what he can do."

Maevaris's contact resided in an ivy-walled mansion on the outskirts of Minrathous proper: far enough from the general hubbub to be private and quiet, but close enough to still be convenient. It was dusk and the air smelled of honeysuckle from the vines that crawled along the walls. They paused before an ominous, dark wooden door. Mae let the knocker fall against it twice before a slave opened the door. "Magister Tilani and Ambassador Pavus of the Inquisition," she said. "The Magister is expecting us."

The slave bowed his head and ushered them inside. Wordlessly he led them through the darkening hallways, pausing to light a lamp at the base of a wide marble staircase. They climbed the stairs and followed the silent slave to the end of the hall. He rapped three times on the door before opening it.

Dorian entered one of the most fabulous libraries he'd ever seen outside of an Imperial Circle. Not even the Inquisition's library quite measured up to this one. It was evident from the floor-to-ceiling shelves that lined the walls that this was a collection that had been gathered and tended to over many years. The mantle and the few shelves that did not hold books boasted any assortment of strange figures, carved out of wood or stone or formed from metal. Magic reverberated all around him. This wasn't merely a Magister's Minrathous dwelling: this was the man's home.

"Magister Tilani," the man said, turning his high-backed leather chair around and folding his hands on the desk. He looked up at Maevaris through his half-spectacles. He rose and came out from behind his large desk. "And this must be Ambassador Pavus." His cool gray eyes swept over Dorian.

"Thank you for meeting with us, Magister Enchinus," Maevaris said, bowing her head once.

"Come now. Let us dispense with the formality for the moment. You know I can't resist a challenge." He grinned slightly, then waved to the still-waiting slave. The slave quickly lit the fire in spite of the warm evening, and then went about lighting the lamps. "Tea, Servos," Enchinus said, and he smiled as if pleased with himself. "Servos. I found it a clever name. Please, be seated."

Dorian and Maevaris took seats across from the desk. Enchinus turned toward his seat. His gleaming brown hair was nearly waist-length with a few silver streaks at his right temple, and the firelight reflected off of the silver that capped his left ear. "Ambassador Pavus, and the Inquisition," he began. "I am Magister Savos Enchinus."

"Magister," Dorian said, also bowing his head in respectful greeting.

Savos cocked his head to the side slightly. He rested his elbows on the desk and folded his hands under his chin. He wore fingerless gloves that extended up to his elbows even in spite of the heat… but come to think of it, even with the fire going Dorian didn't feel warm. "Please, just Savos. I confess you have me curious, Ambassador. Or, may I call you Dorian?" Dorian nodded. "Tevinter's ultimate prodigal son leaves and joins up with the Inquisition, an institution that can procure and acquire anything or anyone it desires. And yet you return to the Imperium, seeking my help. I do love a challenge."

Dorian nodded. "As do I, and the current state of the Imperium is nothing if not challenging," he said. Savos's pleasant grin seemed frozen on his face. He didn't seem to be too much older than Dorian himself. "Maevaris told me that you have ways of acquiring rare items."

"It depends on how rare you want, what your timeline is, and how much you're prepared to offer," Savos said. He opened a drawer and pulled out a roll of parchment. He picked up a quill in his long, thin fingers and dipped it in a pot of ink. "I assume you have answers to those questions?"

Dorian glanced over at Mae, but she sat back and took the cup of tea that Servos brought back. She subtly shook her head and her message was clear: she'd set up this meeting, but the business was Dorian's. "It's called a sending crystal. I need it as soon as you can get it, and I am with the Inquisition, so I am able to pull from deep coffers."

"Are you, though?" Savos asked as he scrawled down Dorian's requests. "Does your husband oversee any of that, or would his advisors bring such a large debit to his attention?"

At that Maevaris did turn to stare at Dorian. Her brow was wrinkled, her blue eyes confused, and the slightest frown formed on her face. Savos chuckled and set the quill back in the inkwell. "And here you thought I just procured items, Magister Tilani," he told her, shaking his head. "I'm also gifted in acquiring information, which is often more valuable than tangible goods. For once I know more than you."

Dorian remained unflappable. "If I have to go elsewhere I will," he said with an offhand shrug. He didn't want to have to employ Leliana's services for something like this. It was enough that he'd gone through her to reacquire his family heirloom pendant. No, this had to stay between Tevinters.

Savos knew as much; it had been an easy bluff to call. "What you ask for does exist. It can be procured, but it may take longer than your… rushed timeline."

"It can be delivered to me at my next location," Dorian said. "I would just prefer to have it as soon as it can be acquired." He sipped his tea: spicy, with a hint of vanilla and citrus. "I will of course pay extra for the rush."

Savos smiled. "Yes. Yes, you will, Ambassador Pavus. Or is it Trevelyan? Pavus-Trevelyan? Did he hyphenate as well?"

"I'll pay you more to avoid the sarcastic commentary on my personal life," Dorian offered.

"Dear Ambassador, you can afford many things, but you cannot afford that price," Savos told him with a chuckle.

They took their leave; Dorian knew he was going to pay dearly for this, in more ways than one, but it was for Theo. It was for them. It was worth it.

Especially when, three days later, a breathless Inquisition messenger showed up at his apartments, letter in hand. He'd been summoned to appear at the Exalted Council in Halamshiral in a week's time. He didn't want to think it, but in his gut he knew: the fate of the Inquisition and the fate of Tevinter were tied together.

Author's Note: Magister Savos Enchinus appears courtesy of Tamarandom; please see her artwork on deviantArt!