Notes: Thank you for continuing to stick with the story. The climactic events continue here.

Chapter 18: Inquisition Asunder

When they met up with Gatt and Viddathiss at the coastal rendezvous point again, the two Ben-Hassrath were gaping and shaking their heads in derision.

"I cannot believe this," Gatt said, staring at his former mentor in deep betrayal. "You chose—this?" He sneered at Max, then at Krem. "You threw away the Qun, you threw away everything that you are, for them?"

"I realized that the Qun is not everything I am," Bull replied. "Not even the most important thing. And I don't agree with all it says. I'm sorry, Gatt. You don't have to be estranged. You could join me."

"Become Tal-Vashoth like you?" Gatt scoffed. "I think not."

Max realized that his input might not be the most welcome, and he didn't want Bull to be readmitted as Qunari anyway, but he had to explain to Gatt and Viddathiss what had truly happened. "The Qun actually says that Bull was supposed to let the Chargers die, be sunk by the Venatori, for nothing? Because that's what would have happened alternatively. The Venatori would have sunk their boat and then proceeded to the dreadnought anyway."

"It is better to die in defense of the Qun than to surrender or withdraw," Viddathiss replied, "even if it changes nothing about the outcome." He gazed hard at Max, one human male of similar age to another, though he had become hardened with fanaticism. "What of you? You destroyed your own ship. Why did you not destroy the Venatori ship as well?"

Max drew back defensively. "I considered that, but on reflection, I'm reasonably sure that it would have killed me to do so. And I am not Qunari," he replied tartly as the self-righteous young man opened his mouth, "nor are Krem and the other Chargers. You may demand that Qunari should die futile, fruitless deaths rather than withdrawing to fight another day. But you don't get to demand that of people who don't follow your philosophy."

Varric spoke up. "They think they do, Herald. That's the thing about the Qunari. They think everyone must follow their rules. We saw this same shit in Kirkwall, time and time again. People running from the law in Kirkwall could shelter with the Qunari and we'd have to respect it, but if the Arishok wanted us to hunt down his Tal-Vashoth, or even surrender Isabela—one of our own—to him for violating Qunari laws, we had to do it. Always their way, their rules."

Max and Dorian had realized that Varric had a personal grudge against the Qunari for their destructive acts in Kirkwall in 9:34, and that he was taking it out on Viddathiss. But that did not mean that his words were false. Max sighed, unsure what to say.

"You were our allies," Gatt finally said, breaking the awkward silence. "But that has changed. This cannot be overlooked. Farewell, Hissrad."

"My name is Iron Bull."

Gatt scowled at this as he and Viddathiss mercifully departed.

The Frostbacks were beautiful, and it broke Max's heart to think about troops and artillery digging in here in order to target the castle. But once he could think about something other than the pain in his hand, the betrayal of the red lyrium weapons, and the somewhat disembodying sense of shock that followed the traumatic events themselves, he realized that they were not out of danger yet. Far from it, in fact.

"You know," Varric said uneasily as they rode back to Skyhold, "the Vindication is going to carry word back to Hawke about what happened. She'll know that we—that someone—had red lyrium weapons. And that they shot at the Kirkwall ship."

Max had realized that. He exchanged a dour look with Dorian before answering. "That had occurred to me. We have to get to the bottom of this. I'll be honest, I would like to just walk away. Fight Corypheus and his forces in my own way, with my own forces and alliances. I didn't have any other options than sticking with the Inquisition when the Breach was gaping down on Haven and the only people who stood up for me were those who are now at Skyhold, but I think I might have other choices now. But I can't do that just yet."

Varric nodded glumly. The others murmured among themselves.

"We're with you whatever you do," Sera finally said. "We all saw that shit and I'll tell you what, I don't want to see it again. It's like it always is. Little people get power, become big people, and then start acting like big people."

Max nodded. "But this is one action I won't tolerate. And it means a lot to me that none of you will either. I hope we have additional allies at Skyhold."

"I'm sure Junior and Daisy will be with you, and the other Wardens," Varric said. "Probably Choirboy too. And his thousand troops."

Max's eyes suddenly glittered at that reminder. Beside him, Dorian noticed. A smile formed on the Tevinter's face as he squeezed Max's hand.

Solas was waiting in the great hall as Max and his team entered. "What happened to the Anchor?" he exclaimed, dismayed. Stitches had bandaged Max's hand.

"It looks worse under the bandages," Max said. "I'll explain how it got this way, but I want everyone in the inner circle to hear when I do."

Solas drew back slightly at the dark tone of the Herald's voice. "Might I at least look at it? I sense its magic. It has become unstable."

"I was afraid of that. It felt unstable." Max allowed Solas to unwind the bandages. The bottom layer was stained pink and beige, but Stitches had applied a thick layer of slippery ointment to prevent the bandage from sticking to the burn in a way that would be horrendously painful when it had to be removed and would also set back the healing process. "You can lift it," he assured Solas. "It's not stuck."

Solas gingerly lifted the layer of gauze. He frowned deeply at the sight. "This healing is competent, but you would do better to see a master Healer—a Spirit Healer, if you can."

"We don't have any in the Inquisition," Rainier said. "They all left with the Free Mages."

"I can think of a solution to that problem," Varric muttered.

"Otherwise this burn will likely scar," Solas continued. "But that is not the crucial problem you face. You used the Anchor to call forth far more power than was safe for you. Not quite as much as would have been necessary to close the Haven Breach alone—that would have killed you—but a dangerous amount. I will not ask why, as you said you will explain that to everyone. I can stabilize the Anchor for now, but it will act up again in the future, I must warn you. This is a temporary solution."

"What would be a permanent solution?" Max asked as Solas began to cast Rift Magic on the Anchor. He winced at the sensations, but he did immediately feel less chaotic surging and pulsing of the mark.

Solas gave him a grim look. "Something we cannot do while Corypheus remains at large."

"I... see." Max pushed the thought out of his mind. "You said it would act up in the future. How far in the future?"

"I cannot say. Perhaps in a couple of years it will destabilize again, if you use it judiciously. If you do anything like this again, though, it will happen far sooner."

"I hope to defeat Corypheus long before those 'couple of years' have passed," he said briefly. "And I hope never to have to do—this—again." He raised his voice. "I am summoning all my inner circle to a meeting in the war room immediately. Advisors, friends, companions—in there, now."

Max's anger had risen to towering heights once again as he processed Solas's "diagnosis." They caused this, he fumed. Because they—someone—disobeyed my express order of no surprises and no interference, and had red lyrium weapons put on my ship and hotheaded Templars ready to use them against Kirkwall's fleet, I had to use the Anchor to destroy my own vessel. This is the outcome. Because of whoever did this, I now have two years before Solas will have to... He broke off in thought.

"Advisors and associates," he began through clenched teeth, trying to control his fury, "we have some things to discuss."

He did not waste time, but immediately launched into a narrative of the events on the Waking Sea. Before he could even get to the part about Briony and the red lyrium weapons, however, he was interrupted.

"Hawke's ships—this Vindication—did not even attempt to attack the Venatori ship when it first entered the scene?" Vivienne said. "Instead the captain targeted the Qunari with a 'warning shot'?"

"The dreadnought began sailing for Kirkwall's waters before the Venatori ship even appeared," Max replied.

"It was obviously just trying to put distance between the coast and itself, since the fog and mist were evaporating!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, very likely," Max agreed, "but that's why it was a warning shot. And that is beside the point. The problem is what happened next." He stared across the table from face to face. "Knight-Captain Briony and her Templars committed mutiny, bringing out a ballista and a staff-type weapon—a huge one the size of a battering ram—that could shoot red lyrium. The ballista's bolts were made of a metal alloy of some sort that obviously included red lyrium, too. Briony openly defied me and shot an immense spray of red lyrium at the Vindication, also as a 'warning shot.'"

"And then the captain threatened to sink us unless we destroyed it and let her board to confirm it was all gone," Varric put in, glaring at the advisors. "The Herald agreed—he was furious—but Briony wouldn't follow orders, so the Herald had to destroy the Golden Sunburst himself with the Anchor with the Templars aboard. It looked like the Breach at the Conclave, just smaller."

"So that's what happened," Solas murmured to himself.

Cullen spoke up, anger in his voice. "Briony and her entire crew of Templars mutinied?"

"Yes," Max snapped. He eyed the commander. "The crew that you vouched for mutinied with red lyrium weapons, Cullen."

"I didn't know about the red lyrium weapons."

"Someone did." Max slapped his uninjured palm on the tabletop. "I demand to know who."

"So you have summoned us here to accuse of ordering a mutiny in a highly dangerous and volatile situation at sea, with you aboard, Inquisitor?" Vivienne asked scornfully. "That is the purpose of this meeting?"

"Investigating the origins of a mutiny is a reasonable purpose," Leliana said with a warning look to her. Her voice was sharp and brisk. "Inquisitor, you have my word that we will discover the perpetrators. I am confident in my trust of everyone in this room, though unfortunately, the Inquisition has become large enough that it could be infiltrated just as any large organization—"

"Cut the bullshit," Varric snapped.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You're treating this like—like one of Sera's pranks," he said.

"Hey! I wouldn't ever deal with red lyrium," Sera objected.

"That's the point," Varric said. "They're treating this like someone put a flaming bag of shit on the Golden Sunburst and they just need to find out who and slap them on the wrist for it."

"I agree with Varric," Dorian spoke up beside Max. "This was a planned, well-organized defiance. It wasn't just that Max gave an order that Briony didn't like and so she mutinied suddenly. Someone crafted those weapons, and that squad of Templars volunteered to crew the ship in order to reveal them."

"And they were crafted from the bottom up to be red lyrium weapons," Max added. "They were not just existing weapons with that functionality added on. The ballista bolts, as I said, appeared to be made of an alloy that included red lyrium, and the other device was something I've never seen before, designed specifically to shoot large sprays of it."

"We will have Skyhold searched, but unfortunately, it is quite possible that the Inquisitor's decision to destroy the ship also destroyed all the evidence of the conspiracy," Josephine said.

Dorian sucked in his breath sharply. Beside him, Max felt rage shoot up his body, making him lightheaded. They actually dare blame me for this? he thought. Without giving it a second thought, he rose to his feet.

"I will not accept the blame for this," he snarled. "I will not be scapegoated for the reason your 'investigation' turns up nothing—which you've made it crystal clear will be the case now!" He slapped the tabletop again and glared. "I was aboard a ship that had just been threatened with total destruction because of this filth that someone at this table almost certainly knew was there! Total destruction that would then result in a world war! The Inquisition, the Qunari, Orlais, and whoever else you lot could scramble up, against Kirkwall, VMTO, Ferelden, probably the legitimate Tevinter government due to the Qunari alliance... and for what?"

"Briony certainly committed mutiny, and we will find out whatever we can concerning other people's knowledge of these red lyrium weapons," Josephine said, "but according to your own narrative, she brought them out only after the Kirkwall vessel had fired at the dreadnought in international waters."

Cassandra finally spoke up. "The captain of the Vindication was a hothead," she said, "but she would only have acted as she did if she had the assurance that her commanders would back her."

"It is as I said before this fiasco," Vivienne said. "Kirkwall has interfered with our Qunari alliance. Cost us the alliance, I would wager, since Gatt and Viddathiss did not return to Skyhold! Did the dreadnought sink?"

"After we lost our ship—" Max began.

"After you destroyed your own ship."

"Are you even listening?" Dorian shouted. "If he hadn't, Kirkwall would have! The ship was lost the instant that Templar shot red lyrium at the Vindication! The only question was whether a catastrophic war would follow!"

"After we lost our ship," Max continued coldly, "the Venatori attacked the Chargers' boat. Krem Aclassi had courageously put it between the Venatori and the dreadnought. It stood no chance of defending itself, and Bull gave the order to Krem to withdraw. Then the Venatori attacked the dreadnought. It's not clear whether their fireballs blew it up or the Qunari destroyed it themselves. And then, yes, Gatt and Viddathiss took offense at the fact that the Chargers did not die pointlessly for the Qun, never mind that it isn't even their belief system. The Kirkwall ship blew up the Venatori ship."

"So we have lost our Qunari alliance," Cassandra said tightly, "and the captain of the Vindication is going to report back to Kirkwall about how that happened. That is just wonderful. We already know that Hawke and Anders spent the past few months, and Maker knows what amount of coin—"

"Coin that VMTO members are all sending them," Vivienne added.

"—developing rockets that could strike Skyhold, instead of working with us to fight Corypheus. That is what they considered their priority: menacing us."

"Oh," Dorian snapped, "just like we spent months fucking around in Orlesian politics instead of fighting Corypheus?"

"They are trigger-happy warmongers," she continued loudly, "and their recklessness nearly started a world war that would benefit no one except him! It may still cause that war!"

"You trigger-happy warmongers picked the wrong enemy to strike this time," the envy demon had said.

"Do you think it would've come to this if we hadn't antagonized them at every turn?" Max shouted, suddenly terrified by his own memories. "Do you think they would have seen us as an enemy and threatened to sink our ship if we hadn't already broken up their alliances?" He shook his head in derision. "And this is all beside the point. My crew mutinied, and they had red lyrium weapons that I knew nothing about and don't approve of, and it sounds like you people knew all about that and are going to cover it up for them and blame me for the fact that you 'couldn't' discover anything!"

Leliana gave quelling looks to the others as she attempted to take charge. "Inquisitor," she said, "please, I swear to you, I do not believe anyone in this room authorized the creation of red lyrium weapons or deliberately dispatched a mutinous crew to your ship." She glared at Vivienne, Cassandra, and Josephine in turn. "Several of us have been... unhelpful, and have focused on the poor behavior of the Kirkwall captain rather than our people's poor behavior or the Qun's unreasonableness about withdrawal from a hopeless fight. Before this incident, I did say that a good outcome depended on there being no reckless hotheads on the scene, but there were several, unfortunately: the Kirkwall captain and these mutinous Templars. My fellow advisors need to remember that there has been some very severe misbehavior on the Inquisition side."

"Misbehavior," Max repeated. He reluctantly acknowledged that Leliana, at least, seemed sincere, but he was still too angry and betrayed by the way the others had acted to give her a fair hearing. And her use of such a mild word for what had happened did not alleviate his anger. He faced her, then gazed piercingly at the others in turn, looking into their faces for any sign of guilt or deception, hoping to catch the culprit by an averted gaze, a sudden flash of guilt, a too-defiant glare—but to his dismay, nothing stood out to him. But I'm not an expert at detecting lies, he thought, and I may be too angry right now to do it anyway.

He finally spoke again. "Misbehavior," he repeated once more, derisively. "That's what it is to you? The Templars were just a little naughty? This was an act of betrayal, Leliana. A very grave and very well-planned one. And someone gave them these orders. Very likely someone at this table."

"Inquisitor," Leliana pleaded, sounding more desperate now, "please—there have been traitors in the ranks before—this was not—we would not—"

"The Golden Sunburst, my ship, was carrying weapons designed for red lyrium. Someone had them constructed and loaded on that ship. Every Templar crewman aboard was involved. If this was treason, it was remarkably well-organized and went very high up. I warned you all that there would be serious consequences if I had any surprises at sea. This was the worst kind of surprise, so I warn you again—whoever ordered this, you'd better confess."

The table fell silent, and for the first time, Vivienne, Josephine, Cassandra, and Cullen looked frightened as the silence continued.

Max's gaze was hard. "No one will speak up? All right, then. If no one in this room is guilty, it means that neither I nor any of you have sufficient control over what happens here. So that means I shouldn't be wearing this." He reached for the Inquisition medallion adorning his crossbody sash and ripped it off, flinging it down. Several audible gasps erupted through the room. Max stepped on the discarded medallion with his shoe, metal scraping against stone discordantly as he did. "This is a strict line for me. If this is how it's going to be, the Inquisition defiling itself by using red lyrium, you can find yourselves a new Inquisitor. Maybe the person who had those weapons made would be more to your taste." He stormed toward the great doors of the war room and flung them open with a clang that sounded like a bell tolling doom.

Dorian stood up first and hurried to the doors to Max's side. The others who had been involved in the Qunari operation quickly followed suit, pushing their chairs up and leaving the war table without a word. Leliana's face fell with each successive resignation—for that, she knew, was what they were.

The people who remained at the table stared at it, several of them desperately trying to make up their minds about what to do. Solas in particular appeared agonized. But at last, he rose to his feet. "I stand with the Herald." He pushed his chair up and joined the group in the doorway.

Varric gazed back at Cassandra. "Seeker? Really?"

She stared at him. "I am sorry, Varric. This is rash, and I..." Her voice wavered. "I cannot..."

"If there had never been any breaches of trust until now, yes, it might be rash," he said. "But you cannot deny that people in this room have kept important things from the Herald on more than one occasion."

She grimaced.

"People have limits, Seeker. And I gather he has reached his."

"I have," Max said gruffly.

"I'm sorry, Varric," Cassandra said again, staring miserably at the table. "But I am needed here. I am a Seeker of Truth. Therefore I must seek the truth of how this happened... because I believe Leliana."

Varric was terribly disappointed, that was clear to Max. "Then I wish you luck," he snapped. "I regret it's come to this... Cassandra."

Max strode to the head of his little group. "Come on. There's nothing to be gained by prolonging this."

Dorian linked his arm with Max's as they left the war room and headed toward the main doors of Skyhold.

"Do you have a plan?" Rainier asked as they headed for Max's quarters. He was not going to take everything with him, but there were some precious items he had gathered—and some weapons he didn't want to leave behind.

"The germ of one," he answered. "I think we need to go to the Free Marches. It's our only chance of stopping a terrible war."

"As important as that is, let us not forget the original goal of this organization, before it became so corrupt and compromised," Solas said. "We have to defeat Corypheus."

"Yes," Max agreed. "And the scheme that the Grey Wardens of Orlais are involved in is directly related to stopping him. We need to have every Warden in Skyhold with us."

Solas's expression became a grimace, and Max remembered that he, for some reason, did not like Grey Wardens—but he did not argue the point.

"That and Hawke wouldn't forgive me for leaving her brother and Merrill behind," Varric said.

"And my niece is coming too," Max said. "She's a child. I wouldn't dare leave her in the hands of people like this. I don't trust any of them anymore and I know there are several who are not above using a child as a hostage."

His tone was so hard and cynical that it disturbed several of the party, but Dorian gave him a sympathetic, understanding look. "Let's you and I go to her quarters and let her know," he said. "Varric, Rainier, you find the Wardens."

Several members of the departing group had half-expected soldiers to try to stop them, but no one did. Within half an hour, they all regrouped in the courtyard, accompanied by the Chargers, Alison, Carver, Merrill, Darrian Tabris, Felix, and Sidona Andras.

"How are we going to get to the Free Marches?" Iron Bull asked. "I agree with the plan to go there, and we can certainly get to Jader, but we're not a big group, and then we'll have to get a ship..."

"We are going to ask Prince Sebastian," Max said. "If he is truly an ally of the rest of the Free Marches, let him demonstrate it with his thousand troops."

Dorian beamed at Max. "This is an excellent idea."

"They used red lyrium!" Sebastian exclaimed, rising to his feet. Anger and betrayal filled his face as Max gave the prince an account of what had happened and what they were going to do. "I will tell you, Herald, that would be enough to garner my departure even if we did not run the risk of war with Kirkwall. Red lyrium is a substance of the Void itself. An organization that claims to speak for the Maker and Andraste has no business using it."

"It's a horrendous poison that destroys everything it infects," Solas said. "We need not invoke the Maker and Andraste to justify wanting nothing to do with it."

Sebastian nodded. "A substance of the Void, as I said. No, Herald—you need not worry that I would stay here. I am with you all the way, and I command my troops likewise. And my coin. If you wish to go to the Free Marches, I will fund our return to that region."

Max shook his hand, feeling relieved that at least some people stood with him. "Thank you, Your Highness. Let us not waste any more time, then. As soon as you can ready your troops to leave, we'll be off."

Max felt much more secure with Sebastian's troops protecting their march to Jader. Someone might target a small group, particularly if they recognized him as the—the Herald, he thought, pushing the other title out of his thoughts. But no one would take on a large militia. And he wanted Sebastian's presence for another reason, one that he would pursue once they were aboard the ship.

As they marched for Jader, they discussed the precipitating event—as was inevitable that they would. With the heat of anger dissipated in some and lessened, at least, in others, they were able to consider it from angles that they had not in the war room of Skyhold.

"You know, I'm as big a skeptic as the rest of us are about the war table group, but on reflection, I'm actually not prepared to blame any of them for that without having proof of it," Varric said.

"Why not?" Max said in brittle tones. Leliana had seemed sincere, and he would have staked his life that Cassandra was innocent, but Leliana was a bard. A bard must become a very good liar. "Somebody planned that," he continued. "Those weapons were not just standard-issue arms with red lyrium added on. The ballista bolts appeared to be an alloy that included the vile substance, and that... thing... that shot a blast of it in a cloud the size of a whole boat..." He glowered. "Someone engineered those things. This took serious planning."

"I know, I just am not ready to condemn any of the advisors without knowing more. We all got mad at several of them, I know, but I think they may have just been doubling and tripling down on defending the Inquisition."

"What's the alternative?" Rainier spoke up gruffly.

Everyone else in the group cringed darkly; they had all figured that out. "The alternative is treason," Dorian said. Max gave him a side look; he had rarely heard his amatus sound so cold and dire. But, of course, if what he had to say was true, that warranted such a dire tone. "The alternative," Dorian reaffirmed, "is that someone took advantage of those fool Templars and their hotheadedness because they knew it would start a war with VMTO that most of Thedas would become embroiled in, and that was the outcome they wanted. I cannot see anyone wanting that except someone working for Corypheus."

Max shuddered. That was a possibility he had not wanted to seriously consider. But now that Dorian had explicitly voiced it, it was one he could not ignore. For the first time, he reconsidered Josephine's remark that had so inflamed him. I may actually have destroyed all the evidence, he thought. I know I didn't have a choice, but if the traitor kept no records and had no conspirators, we cannot now question Briony to find out who she was working with. Josephine's words enraged me... and I know I couldn't have done anything else than what I did... but it may still be impossible for them to find out who planned this, if it really was treason.

When they reached Jader, Sebastian revealed that the ships in which he had brought his troops were still at the harbor. "We await your command as to where we will go next," he said deferentially to Max. "Though you are welcome in Starkhaven if you decide to set up a new headquarters to fight Corypheus."

Max nodded in thanks. "We have several matters we need to address, so it'll therefore be necessary to split the group. Not the way we split from Skyhold," he added with a dry smile. "But someone needs to go to Kirkwall to talk with Viscountess Hawke. I'm still deeply angry with the others, but I don't want Skyhold destroyed. There are hundreds of innocents there."

Varric, Carver, and Merrill stepped up. "We'll lead that delegation," Varric offered. "Hawke needs to hear from people she trusts, no offense."

"None taken. I was going to suggest it anyway." He turned to Sebastian. "Your Highness, I would like you to remain with me as I take on the other problems."

"It would be my honor, Herald."

"I understand that Duke Prosper de Montfort is basically a very well-kept prisoner of the Inquisition in Wycome," Max continued. "I was told that he, his small militia, and his wyverns are being 'guarded' in a rich estate there, no doubt one whose owner went mad from red lyrium and died in the attack on the late Duke Antoine. There is a large Inquisition presence there that he cannot fight. Your Highness, I am not asking that you and your troops start a fight with Inquisition forces, but it's my hope that if we show up there, they will withdraw and we can then settle the governance of Wycome lawfully and officially."

Sebastian nodded. "I would be pleased. It is crucial for the city to have a legally instated government."

"We may need to make a deal with Clan Lavellan's leader," he said. "She is also, I suspect, a hostage of the Inquisition army, unofficially. I cannot imagine she'd be complicit. We just need to get the lay of the land in Wycome and form a government there that nobody can reasonably claim is illegitimate."

Sebastian agreed. "A noble task, one in which I will be glad to aid you. And from there, will you sail down the Minanter to Starkhaven?"

"If you need to return to your home, I understand," Max said, "but I don't think I can follow you yet. I'd like to meet up with the Kirkwall delegation, and I think Ostwick would be the best place for that, as an in-between city." He took a deep breath. "And I may as well tell you, I have additional plans and goals, and I hope you will be as solid an ally in them as you have been for what I've discussed so far."

Sebastian waited.

"I intend to get Wycome back in VMTO," he said. "Officially. I'm not even going to play the Inquisition's slimy legal game about whether Duke Antoine signed the Vimmark-Minanter Treaty in good faith. He's dead and his palace was sacked, so we'll likely never know if he was a knowing Venatori ally. It's irrelevant if the new head of state signs the treaty, however."

"And you think Duke Prosper will be that head of state?" Dorian asked.

"He's so ambitious and determined, and such a dangerous enemy, that I think he'll have to be if he stays alive, and I don't want to kill him. The question is whether he will have unchallenged power. I... don't like the way my former advisors conducted themselves... but they did raise a decent point about the likelihood that he would govern as a tyrannical dictator. That's why I want to see where Keeper Lavellan stands, and if there are any other figures we could compromise with who might check the leader's power."

"This is a very intelligent plan," Sebastian observed.

"Thank you, Your Highness. After the Kirkwall and Wycome teams have achieved their goals, I want to reconvene in Ostwick in order to..." He sighed, suppressing his own disgust at the prospect before him. "Talk to my family about a meeting with the Teyrn of Ostwick. It's high time my birthplace dropped its perpetual posture of neutrality and took a stand. I want Ostwick in VMTO too."

"Good luck with that," Varric muttered.

"I know it'll be a challenge," Max said dourly, "but I have to try. I am utterly committed now to the project of defensive unity in the Free Marches." He then fixed his gaze upon Sebastian. "And that brings me to my next point. I think it is greatly in Starkhaven's interest to sign the treaty. The Inquisition itself has become a threat to the Free Marches, indeed to the stability of Thedas, whether the stunt in the Waking Sea was treason or just mutiny."

Varric chimed in. "I agree. Whatever your past with Hawke might be, she does not stab loyal allies in the back. And it's definitely not in her interest for Starkhaven to be conquered by Tevinter, the Qunari, or the bloody Inquisition."

"Language," Sebastian chastised, even as Varric rolled his eyes. He turned to Max. "Herald, I have been waiting to hear this. I wish to sign the treaty. I have wished it for months now. The turning point for me was when Dagna said that Elthina had brought her on deliberately and had not been under the influence of Red Templars in doing so. I had not wanted any part of Hawke's Marcher military or the weapons that ended Elthina's life, because I believed her innocent and misled by Red Templars, but... I have been forced to reconsider, and with my mind clearer, I see the value of Viscountess Hawke's project. The recent events in the Waking Sea have only reinforced that." He took a deep breath. "But I should tell you, I was threatened with having my dispensation to rule withdrawn if I did sign."

"What?" Max exclaimed. "I assume you mean the Inquisition did this?"

Sebastian nodded. "I regret to say that they did. It was a subtle threat, not overt or explicit, but the meaning was clear."

"They wanted to keep plausible deniability," Max realized. He shook his head. "Wow. Well, forget whatever they told you. They no longer have their Inquisitor. The Inquisition is leaderless, it's lost a substantial fraction of its troops, and there has not been a Divine elected yet. They have no power to force their will anymore. And I am the Herald of Andraste," he said, still not completely believing in the title, but fully aware that he had to use it in this instance.

"Indeed, and I think Andraste reaffirmed her selection of you by the fact that you survived the use of your Anchor to destroy the ship."

"Perhaps so," Max said, though in truth, he knew that Dorian's immediate casting of the arcane shield was the reason he had survived that. "And I will use my authority to reaffirm your dispensation from your vows as a Chantry brother. I'll do it publicly, too."

Sebastian smiled. "How soon can we get our hands on the treaty?"

"You'll probably need to talk to Hawke about that," Varric said.

"Or I could go with the Herald to Wycome, and you could advise the Viscountess that there will be two leaders awaiting treaty documents in Wycome to sign. She could send an official delegation, perhaps yourself."

"That works," Varric said, shrugging. He extended his hand. "All right. Thanks for the support. See you in Ostwick... or Wycome."

All that remained then was deciding who would go with which group. Carver and Merrill obviously wanted to go with Varric to Kirkwall. It was a wrench for Max, but he decided that his niece Alison would be far safer there than she would be in the possible violence of Wycome—let alone the fact that there were probably still red lyrium deposits to destroy there. Besides, she knew Kirkwall and she knew the Hawke family. It was best for her to go there.

Rainier volunteered for the embassy to Kirkwall as well. "I don't think all of the Grey Wardens should go to either city," he said, "but I can speak to what's been going on in the Inquisition better than the rest of these Wardens, no offense to you," he said to Tabris, Felix, and Andras.

"It's Wycome for me," Iron Bull said. "I may not be Qunari anymore, but I was one recently enough that I don't think they'd want me in Kirkwall."

Sera spat on the ground. "What a choice. Kiss the arse of the stuffies in Kirkwall or kiss a bunch of arses in Wycome. But it sounds like there'd be more potential for fighting in Wycome."

"Is that good or bad to you?" Max said nervously. While some people might like her and be amused, Varric's accounts of Hawke made him doubtful that this was the time or place to send her on a peace embassy.

"I thought we were friends," she said with a sly glance.

"What? We are, aren't we?"

"I'm taking the piss out of you," she said. "I mean, I thought you knew me better than that. Take me to the place where I can shoot arrows."

Max was relieved. "All right," he agreed, "but only shoot if necessary."

Solas and Dorian were the only ones who had not yet spoken up, but Max was sure that Dorian was going to stay with him. Sure enough, his amatus stood by his side. They turned to Solas, who was, as he had been in Skyhold, considering the options deeply, a frown on his face.

"I do not know what benefit my presence in Kirkwall would provide," he finally said. "The Viscountess and her consort do not know me, and I think it would probably be for the best for that embassy to be as small as possible and to contain primarily people she knows and trusts. It is a very delicate affair, preventing an unnecessary war, and we do not want to send too many people into her presence that she might fear to be spies. Plus, I would rather stay by the Herald's side in case he decides to risk himself again with a heroic use of the Anchor," he said with a smile to Max.

They were all splitting into their groups, Sebastian preparing to direct his soldiers to board the transports, when another voice, one that he had not heard for the entire journey, broke the silence.

"Compassion is needed in Wycome. Too many suffered from red lyrium. Too many deaths. The Duke was brutal. They need help to understand."

Cole squatted before them next to Solas, who seemed curiously unsurprised to see him there.

Max gaped. "Maker's breath, Cole. You're quite welcome, but don't do that, please. Stay where we can see you unless your life is in jeopardy and you have to enter Fade stealth."

"Oh. I understand," Cole assented.

Max took a deep breath. "All right. It's truly us against the world for now, just as it was at the very beginning in Haven. For those of you who were not there, it was like that. Hopefully we can change that and gain allies this time without becoming corrupt and power-hungry, or losing sight of the mission. Life and freedom in Thedas depend on us, more than ever before."

"Maker turn His gaze upon us and our missions," Sebastian prayed. Not everyone in the group echoed the prayer, with Solas, Merrill, and Iron Bull definitely abstaining, but Max knew that they all wished for success in their own ways.

He gazed out at the Jader harbor where the ships awaited them all.

Kirkwall Harbor.

The embassy to Hawke and Anders had about fifty of Sebastian's troops for protection, but as an embassy, they did not need to appear in Kirkwall Harbor as an army would. Varric was going to take the lead, since he had been in the Inquisition the longest, had been on Hawke's Small Council for many years before that, and was the best at politics of this group.

As the small ship tied up in the harbor, the embassy members noticed a group of Free Mages and Kirkwall militia removing something. Varric waved at Aveline Hendyr, who was overseeing the operation—whatever it was—and was visibly startled to see him.

"What's that?" Rainier asked as they headed for the gangplank.

"It's the lead-lined box they've had covering dead Meredith since 9:37," he said. "I guess Hawke and Anders are finally sick of seeing it. Wonder what they're doing with it."

"Dead Meredith?"

"Meredith Stannard, the late Knight-Commander of Kirkwall. She turned into red lyrium after years of use. The first Behemoth, I guess, though we didn't know at the time."

As the soldiers broke the statue off the ground, Varric suppressed a violent curse at the sight: Red lyrium crystals had formed. The box had prevented them from spreading, but it appeared to have become completely filled with the filth over the course of several years. He breathed a sigh of relief as the Free Mages promptly destroyed the substance, casting entropy spells that withered it.

"I'm surprised to see you, Varric," Aveline said, approaching them. "Relieved, given the horrific rumors we've been hearing—which a captain from the fleet confirmed," she added in a low voice, "but surprised."

"Yeah," he said. "That's why we're here."

"The Inquisitor is not here, though. Or is this he?" she asked Rainier.

"No, this is one of his trusted friends. The man himself is on the way to Wycome with Sebastian Vael, the Starkhaven militiamen who came with Choirboy, the rest of the Grey Wardens, and several other trusted friends. And don't call him Inquisitor. He's just the Herald now. We've split from the Inquisition."

Aveline gasped.

"We're in the Free Marches to fix this shit, to clean up the Inquisition's mess," he continued, "and that's why we need to see Hawke."

"Well, you have entree to the Keep, as you know."

He nodded. "Of course. I was wondering, though, what are you planning to do with that thing?"

"Hawke and Anders are having it sent to the Vimmark Fortress and deposited behind the strongest wards in the deepest prison that can be found. The Free Mages have tried to destroy it with magic, and that works against the new growth, but the core of the statue is resistant to every spell they've used. Possibly because of the red lyrium artifact that was the sword that's contained within. That's their theory. It's also resistant to breakage. Hawke and Anders just want it out of here."

"The Wardens couldn't keep Corypheus locked in that prison."

"They kept him there for over twelve hundred years. It's the best option we have. The red lyrium was starting to pierce through the lead."

"Fair enough."

Anders and Caitlyn Hawke wore extremely grim, dire expressions as Varric approached. The fact that Alison, Carver, and Merrill accompanied him visibly relieved them a bit, and their brows quirked up at Rainier, whom they did not know and who did not fit the description of the Inquisitor.

"We're glad to see you, Varric," Hawke finally said once the teen girl was shown to her quarters, "all of you. But we all know it's nothing good that brought you here. And is this Serah Trevelyan?"

"He's a Grey Warden, love," Anders murmured. Varric blinked; Rainier was not donning any Warden insignia—but then he remembered that Anders was a Warden too and could sense them.

"Blondie is right. Trevelyan is en route to Wycome with Sebastian, the Starkhaven militia, and the rest of the former Inquisition members loyal to him."

"Former?"

"Yes. We've left Skyhold and Trevelyan refuses to answer to the title of Inquisitor. It was pretty impressive, actually, watching him fling his medal to the ground and step on it, then gather us all up for our big dramatic exit. He doesn't hold with red lyrium any more than the rest of us. We have gone rogue, Hawke. The Herald doesn't speak for the Inquisition anymore."

"Maker's breath," she exclaimed.

"Anyhow, this is Warden Thom Rainier. He has been opposed to corruption within it from the moment it started becoming corrupt." He cleared his throat. "Hawke, Blondie—what happened out there?"

"I assume you mean in the Waking Sea?" Hawke replied frostily. "Are you here to blame us for that, Varric?"

"No!" he exclaimed. "I just wanted to be sure that your captains told you the full story of what had happened."

"If you mean the warning shot that Terrie fired at the dreadnought, we do not consider that a violation. The ship was sailing for the line, we were told."

"It was." Varric sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Were you worried about another invasion, this time with Inquisition support?"

"It crossed our minds, given how thoroughly hostile the Inquisition has been to our goals of unity and strong defense in this region," she said icily, "and especially given its recent thuggery in Wycome. But the bigger risk, we feared, was that the Qunari would try to use the Inquisition as a way to get Kirkwall's military secrets. No one there had them, of course, but things can change. And we are quite certain that if the Inquisition could get our rockets and our powder, either by espionage or by independent development, they would."

Varric smiled grimly. "You're probably right about the latter. But that wasn't something I ever once heard discussed as a perk of the Qunari alliance."

"Would they have done so in front of you?" she asked pointedly.

"No," he admitted, "but they can't keep things from me. The Herald or one of his friends would tell me if they heard anything they knew I'd dislike. Always have. The Qunari alliance really was just that, Hawke, an alliance."

Caitlyn scowled, shaking her head. "Do you really believe that, Varric? The Qunari always have a hidden agenda, and it is always related to the conquest of more lands and people for the Qun. There are plenty of people in the Inquisition who are smart enough to know that. Leliana, for one."

"They were, and they did see it. I agree with you, Hawke! If you knew the way I spoke against Saemus Dumar's very presence there..."

"And that was another insult. A brazen taunt to us."

"I agree," he said. "Of course the Qunari always want to get a foothold in the south. But I really don't think they were specifically after Kirkwall's secrets. And the Inquisition advisors believed they could control the situation."

Caitlyn and Anders both scoffed visibly at that. "They obviously could not! If our rocket had struck the Inquisition ship, the Inqu—the Herald would be dead, and Thedas would be embroiled in a continent-wide war. And after those Templars shot red lyrium at the Vindication, what choice did Terrie have?" She shook her head. "Red lyrium. Maybe I spoke too soon about their intelligence, since they are working with that. Or is that something else they think they can control?"

"The Herald didn't know about it. None of us did. The red lyrium is why we resigned and left. Well, that and the fact that when he confronted them all about it when we got back to Skyhold, nobody 'fessed up to giving that order."

Caitlyn and Anders immediately became visibly troubled. "He confronted them, he resigned as Inquisitor, the rest of you followed, and still nobody confessed to it?" she said, her alarm heightened.

"Nope. I'm honestly not sure any of them did know in advance."

Caitlyn and Anders exchanged uneasy looks. "As I understand it, the other Grey Wardens, the Herald's loyal allies, and Sebastian Vael are all out of Skyhold, either with Trevelyan or with this embassy," she began uncomfortably. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Varric said warily, wondering where she was going with this.

She and Anders exchanged a dark, unhappy look—and then he knew. "Is there anyone else at Skyhold that you care for, Varric?" she asked grimly.

He leaped to his feet. "Don't, Hawke. Please, don't do what I know you and Blondie are thinking about doing."

"What choice do we have now, Varric?" she said, her tones sorrowful but hard. "People crafted red lyrium weapons, loaded them onto a warship with the Inquisitor himself, and—if those advisors were telling the truth, which I think they were—no one knew about it in advance. There is no conceivable explanation for that except that agents of Corypheus have managed to infiltrate the organization at a high level. We would be absolute fools now not to treat it as an organization fatally compromised by the enemy, and act accordingly. The fate of Thedas may depend on it."

"Hawke," Varric pleaded. Her expression was unmoving, so he turned to Anders. "Blondie. Come on. You don't want to go through that again, do you? You don't want to use those things again, this time against people who were once friends... do you?"

"I'm sorry, Varric, but I agree with her," Anders said unhappily. "No, I don't want to use them. But I didn't want to use them that night outside Tantervale either. Nobody decent would want to. But we had to."

Caitlyn took a shuddering breath. "Trevelyan was extremely wise to get out, and I thank the Maker that Carver, Merrill, Alison, and the others—and the ruler of Starkhaven—went with him." Her face fell. "I wish Leliana and the others had followed him."

"And Cassandra and Cullen," Varric said in a low voice. Caitlyn and Anders looked pained at that.

"I'm so sorry, but I don't know what else can be done, Varric. Truly. I wish there were another choice. I wish the Inquisition's own loyal people were the culprits! People getting too excited about weaponry and taking 'mad science' too far. That can be dealt with. That's not as bad as a Venatori infiltration." She sighed. "But I don't see any other possibility than infiltration. Trevelyan's advisors would know what it would mean once Terrie reported back to us that there were red lyrium weapons. They would know what we would consider doing once we learned that. If they did know who was behind this, I think they would have given Trevelyan those names, publicly made an example of them, and made bloody well sure we knew it had been done."

"Couldn't there have been some... mad scientist, as you say, some crazy inventor, who went off on their own and made these things and snuck them onto the ship without anyone knowing?" Varric said desperately.

"No, I don't think there could have been. From Terrie's report, the reveal of the red lyrium bolt was deliberate and orchestrated. Everyone in that mutinous crew knew about it. No—I see only two possibilities. Either Leliana and the others did know about it, lost their senses in the heady excitement, and approved it... or this was a Venatori conspiracy perpetrated under their noses. And again, if they knew about it, I think they would've given up the names of those responsible, because they would've known the consequences of not making an example of them."

Varric closed his eyes momentarily. Her logic was awful but unassailable.

Anders gazed bleakly at the floor, finishing her thoughts for her. "I hate that it's come to this. This is going to be far, far worse than the strike on Tantervale. Maybe not in terms of death toll, but in every other way. But in a way, it's even more necessary than Tantervale if this is what it appears to be."

"Please," Varric pleaded again. "You'll have to write to the King and Queen of Ferelden anyway before you can act. At least give Leliana time to find the malefactors. She has a great motive now that she's lost the Inquisitor."

"I can't afford to give them that much time precisely because the Inquisitor has left," Caitlyn said. "Everyone left behind, including the possible enemy agents, must know where he is going, since he left with Sebastian Vael's troops. They know where he is going, they can probably deduce what he is going to do—and you sailed from Jader, didn't you?" Varric nodded, and she continued. "A public harbor. People saw your ship depart for the short voyage to Kirkwall. They know where you and the Herald went, and they know there are rockets in Kirkwall. Rockets that can now strike Skyhold. Whoever did this is likely going to be running for it, knowing damn well what's coming."

Varric felt despair fill him. Had they just condemned everyone left at Skyhold—Cassandra, he thought miserably—to a violent death?

"I know," he finally said. "I know. But... a little time? Give them a chance, at least?"

Caitlyn and Anders exchanged looks again before heaving sighs. "We will send a raven to Leliana at the same time that we advise the King and Queen of Ferelden of the danger. One week from the day that we expect it to arrive. That's the amount of time they will have. After that, you must realize that we have no choice but to strike."

Varric nodded miserably as he and the others took their leave and headed to their quarters.

Skyhold.

Leliana was not surprised by the grim ultimatum in Caitlyn Hawke's raven message. It was, she hated to admit it, exactly what she herself would do, because it was exactly what had to be done if they could not get answers soon.

Keeping the message secret, she summoned everyone from the inner circle who had not left with Max, noting sadly the empty chairs as Cullen closed and bolted the doors. With no Inquisitor, she knew that she presided now.

"Friends," she began, "I'm sure you can guess why I have called you here. Please know that I trust you all not to be working with Corypheus. I do not believe a single person in this room is a traitor. But..." She sighed. "Perhaps there has been a culture of ruthlessness in the Inquisition, which I myself admit I have contributed to, I am ashamed to say. If this has led someone to think that secretly developing red lyrium weapons and enlisting equally ruthless and rigid Templars to deploy them was a good idea, I do, unfortunately, understand how that could have come to be."

"Nightingale," Cassandra began.

Leliana held up her hand for silence. "I have questioned Dagna about whether she did any red lyrium work for anyone, and she knows nothing. I now command you all to tell me anything and everything that you may know about the recent event. If one or more of you are responsible for what happened, tell me, I beg of you. I can also understand why you might not have wanted to confess while the Herald was here, full of wrath and a sense of betrayal—completely justified feelings, I will add. I will make sure that he does not issue a death sentence if you confess freely. I cannot promise to save your position within the Inquisition, but I will make sure you do not die for your folly, if anyone here knows how the red lyrium weapons and Briony's mutiny came to be."

Blank, desperate faces gazed back at her.

She subdued her own sinking feeling. "Please," she begged again. "You have my word, I swear by the memory of Andraste's Ashes. I cannot save your position and I cannot save you from your own shame, but know this. If you know something about this and you do not come forward to me, you will be dealing with far worse than embarrassment and loss of title. You will have effectively condemned thousands to death." She unfolded the letter. "This is a raven message from Viscountess Hawke. She has also written to the King and Queen of Ferelden asking permission to strike Skyhold, because she has concluded—and I agree with her—that if this was not the comparatively innocent folly of someone here, it was the act of traitors. Supporters of the Elder One who wanted to create a destructive, unnecessary world war that would benefit nobody except Corypheus himself. And if that is the case, she says that we must identify and root out the treason or else she will do what must be done."

The faces that gazed back at Leliana were all innocent and horrified, every last one. They really do know nothing, she realized. My bardic skills are top-notch and they are not misleading me here. These people are wholly innocent.

Part of her was relieved, but the other part was more worried than before. If that is the case, then there are indeed traitors in this organization playing a very dangerous game. They will have to be discovered—and fast.

She raised her thoughts to the Herald, now alone in the Free Marches with his friends, his lover, and Sebastian Vael's militia. Maker protect you. I am so sorry for failing you. Maker protect you, and Maker grant me the chance to make amends with you in person.

Notes:

Kirkwall: Varric, Rainier, Carver, Merrill, Alison.

Wycome: Max, Dorian, Iron Bull, Solas, Sera, Cole, Tabris, Felix, Andras, Sebastian.

Skyhold: Leliana, Josephine, Cullen, Cassandra, Vivienne.

We'll get to the Wycome team next chapter. It will in fact be heavily focused on them and on the conclusion of that arc.

The removal of the statue makes Red Lyrium Meredith in this AU more or less compatible with Tevinter Nights and Absolution. No reason I can see why the statue must be anchored at Kirkwall for those events to occur. But there were some pretty serious problems with having it exposed or, worse, guarded by Red Templars, with Caitlyn in charge of Kirkwall.