Adrius hid, trying to keep himself from breathing- if only he could. He had been running for his life from the moment a small child in Darktown had run in to the clinic warning about the coming templars.
He had thought he'd gotten clear of them, but one had spotted him and had given chase. He knew that coming to the chantry was to be Anders' choice, but the grave nature of the situation gave him no regrets. He'd rather die than be taken to be made tranquil.
On that part they had agreed. As a tranquil, everything they had ever done for the mage cause would become ammunition for the templars. Not to mention all those they associated with would become prisoners or worse.
It had taken months, but eventually he had come to understand Anders' point of view. And even more months until he started feeling it himself. He never thought he could be as brave or as callous as those in the mage underground.
He snorted to himself at the thought. Now he knew. If they wanted freedom, they'd have to fight for it. And in every fight, there were casualties.
He'd be damned if those casualties were going to be mages this time. It was time the tables were turned, and the templars understood what loss felt like.
If even one mage heard of this, and decided to no longer lay down and die… then my life had been worth giving, he bolstered himself. Even if it means only saving Anders…
He thought of the wonderful man that had given him a new purpose. He had always healed people, that had been his job ever since he passed his harrowing. But Anders had shown him so much more- actual satisfaction in helping others, and joy in his abilities- something that until that point in his life had been the source of anger or despair, or at best resignation.
He had never felt more alive, more an actual person than he had this past year. He would do anything to give back to the man who had done this for him. If there were any other choice than blowing up half the city, he would have taken it- for Anders' sake alone.
But now, he was down to his last alternative. Hide. If he were successful, then he, and everyone around him would live another day. If not? Well- as Anders said, something drastic would have to be done.
No, tranquility was to be avoided at all costs, he thought again. And Maker help him, if he was going to die, then he was going to do whatever he could to help his brothers and sisters to be free.
"Where is the woman?"
Baxter's jaw clenched, he thought he was free of the glares of condemnation once Meredith was gone, and now this, nobody, was treating him as if he were nothing more than scum. It infuriated him, but he somehow managed to keep his calm demeanor.
"She is gone," Baxter answered. "Escaped… somehow." He took in a breath before continuing. "I will have my men retrieve her-"
"No," Samson turned, shaking his head as he went to the door. He opened it, saying something under his breath to the templars outside, and then shutting the door. He turned, returning back into the room. He gave a gesture for Baxter to sit, giving what could have been a smile, but did nothing to alleviate the distaste Baxter had for the man.
"I realize that I have not been very… forthcoming," Samson stated, moving to sit across from the Knight Commander. "It is hard to trust those in command- as you know, so many let the power convince them that they are the focus, when in reality it is…"
He paused, looking to Baxter, who looked surprised. After a moment of confusion, Baxter replied. "The citizens of course," Baxter answered, unsure of where the conversation was heading, and why he was somehow deferring to the other man.
"... Of course," Samson finally retorted, his smile becoming hard. Baxter's feeling of unease grew, but he told himself not to show it. "I apologize for the secrecy, but I had to know if you could be trusted," Samson continued. "After your predecessor… well." He spread his hands on the table, his gesture telling.
"You mean… Meredith was…?" Baxter's eyes were bulging, his shock so apparent that Samson just chuckled.
"The templars deserve so much better," Samson declared, and Baxter was somewhat surprised at the passion in his tone. "And those that simply use these men for their own gain? Well… that cannot be tolerated."
"I…see," Baxter said, looking down at his hands, his mind furiously trying to comprehend the game at play. He could tell that the man had no trust in him, so for him to be saying these words… could only mean that he had outgrown his usefulness.
What he didn't know, was what that meant for him and his templars. Was Samson trying to replace me? No, he couldn't…
"Do you?" Samson asked quietly.
Baxter looked back up, his face all hard lines as he looked into the man's red eyes. Funny, I never noticed that before… he thought.
"My templars will not follow you," Baxter spoke, sensing his own doom approaching, but refusing to back down. "The captain will ensure it."
"I will force no one," Samson smiled fully now as a knock sounded on the door. "Enter," he called.
Baxter saw his lieutenant come in, handing a lyrium box to Samson. He stayed quiet, observing the box as it was set down, then looking to the woman that had brought it in. He suddenly knew what was happening, when he saw the gleeful excitement in her eyes.
"Since you're in a talkative mood," he stated, seeing that he and Samson understood each other by the look on his face, and that he continued to pull out several vials of the red lyrium, placing them on the table. "What did you want with the mage?" he asked.
Samson looked up, looking at him with what Baxter almost thought was pity. "I could hardly experiment on templars now, could I?" he asked. "Will you take it, or will you need our assistance?"
"I need help!"
Anders burst in the house at top volume, wondering how he was going to explain this all. He stopped short, surprised to find Hawke there, but also to see that Cat and Nathaniel weren't.
"What happened?" he asked, then shook his head. "Never mind, this can't wait!"
"What is it?" Hawke demanded, stepping forward towards his friend. "What's wrong?"
"I can't…" Anders had to stop and catch his breath, but there isn't time! He doubled over, hand on his knee as he fought to speak and breathe at the same time. "Clinic… templars," Breathe, breathe faster dammit!
"The templars found the clinic?" Hawke surmised, his face turning stony. "When?"
"Saw… people… in Lowtown…" Anders continued, frustrated at his lack of stamina, though he felt better enough to stand back up. "Went to check… Adrius gone… destroyed."
"All right, so we check the safe houses," Hawke turned ready to give orders. "We wait until it's fully dark, then we spread out and look for him. We would have heard if there were an arrest-"
"No!" Anders gripped Hawke's arm, turning him back. "Not in the safe house, Hawke," he swallowed hard, knowing Hawke wasn't going to like this. "I think… he went…under the Chantry."
There was confusion, but Anders saw the moment that Hawke understood what he was saying. "Why would he go there, Anders?" Hawke asked in a voice as cold as steel.
"I'm sorry, Hawke, I'm sorry!" Anders practically curled in on himself, grabbing his head with both hands as he rocked back and forth. "I kept putting it off! I was worried about how he would take it, and I just didn't think-"
"You didn't THINK?!" Hawke bellowed furiously. He reached forward and grabbed Anders' shoulders. "How long?" he demanded. "How long do we have?"
Anders dropped his arms, resigned to whatever Hawke chose to do with him. "I don't know," he said despairingly. "It could be minutes; it could be days. Or I could be wrong, and he may have gone to a safe house. I don't KNOW!"
Hakwe looked him in the eye, really wishing he could do literally anything else at the moment. "Then what are we going to do?" he asked. "You tell me."
Anders' eyes went wide. He wasn't in charge, he didn't know what to do, that's why he came to Hawke! "I don't-"
"No!" Hawke cut him off, loudly, but no longer angry. "You said you needed help, didn't you?" he asked. "So then, what if I were not here? You must have thought of another option."
Anders looked around, somewhat frantically, but Hawke just grabbed him by the chin and made him look straight at him. "What can we do Anders?" he asked.
"You know I can hear you, right?" Fenris asked in frustration.
"Of course," Isabela replied. "Why else would I be speaking so loudly?" Charade gave Fenris an apologetic look.
"Bell, you're being rude," she complained.
"You know, you'd be more believable if you weren't grinning," Isabela replied.
"I can't help it," Charade smiled with a shrug to Fenris. "I tried, really I did."
"I am happy for you," Fenris answered, though he turned to give Isabela a glare. "Not you."
She laughed loudly, enjoying her dour friend. "Just think, everyone will want to know the whole story, once I tell them you were instrumental in getting us together."
Fenris stopped in shock, the horror written on his features. "You wouldn't!" he demanded.
Isabela and Charade both laughed now, though Charade was able to calm first, and give him a soothing look. "Of course she wouldn't, I promise," she assured him. He looked between them, disbelieving, before setting off once again.
Charade tried to give her girlfriend a scathing look, but it quickly turned into something else when Isabela grabbed her ass, giving her a wink. Knowing she couldn't win this time, Charade decided to change the subject.
"How large do you think Nyssa will be now?" she asked, knowing Fenris was just worried about Nyssa and his child, and not truly upset with the teasing. She knew he was resigned to it, after working with their crew for so long.
"I do not know, though I only hope that they are both well," he answered as he did each time she had asked while they were gone.
"Really?" she asked, still teasing slightly. "You aren't secretly hoping she had the baby while we were gone?"
He gave her a blank look, as if the thought scared him, then turned back to stare ahead as they walked. "I… would like to perhaps, help…" he muttered.
"Well, I'm told it hurts something fierce," Isabela added, and Charade slapped her arm. "What?" Isabela added. "I was!"
Charade rolled her eyes. "Yes, it can, but that's not what you focus on silly. She's bringing new life into the world! It's a miraculous and wonderful thing!" She turned back to Fenris, hoping to ease his worries a little.
"My mother always told me, that once she held me in her arms, she couldn't remember the pain at all." He didn't reply, so she tried again. "In fact… she said that she never regretted deciding to have me, not even once!" she gave him a large grin but saw that he had stopped once again. This time, however, he was staring into the distance, and she looked to Isabela, in question, but she was doing the same thing.
Following their gaze, she looked out, seeing the city of Kirkwall, which had her heart racing momentarily as they were almost home. Then, she noticed that the city didn't look quite right. There were plumes of smoke coming from several areas, and the Chantry was just… gone.
"What happened?" Isabela breathed, and Charade looked to her, then back to the city, just as Fenris took off running.
"All right, everyone is finally here, and awake, so now can you tell us what happened out there?" Isabela asked Varric, seeing that Hawke was sitting up and getting treated had her relaxing slightly. When his first words were sending Charade to check on the servants, she relaxed even more.
"We practically dig you out of rubble, everyone is hurt, so many are dead- and all you have to say is that something went stampeding into the chantry before it blew?" she tried not to sound exasperated, but everyone had been practically screaming about a monster that destroyed the Chantry.
"Something?" Cat asked, looking up in surprise.
"Even if I knew what it was, I'm not sure I could describe it," Varric answered, sounding puzzled. "It looks like it could have been a person at one time, though it's hard to see that now."
"It could have been a person?" Aveline asked, worry lacing her voice. "Did you see the guard?" she asked.
"Some are there, trying to regroup," Sebastian answered. "That's how we were able to get out."
"What was it? Some kind of abomination?" Fenris asked curtly.
"Why is that always the first thing you go to?" Anders demanded. "Something's wrong, so a mage must be going crazy!"
Fenris' brow rose, but he didn't reply. He didn't have to.
"Okay, let's focus, since none of us seem to have the whole story," Cat spoke up, trying to get attention back where it was needed. Her injuries felt better, but she was so tired it was making her dizzy.
"All I know is that some of the templars followed me out of the Gallows, and Nate showed up just in time to help me, uh, get rid of my tail. We're coming back here, when we hear all sorts of screaming, before the ground starts shaking, and a huge red light appears everywhere."
She looked around, but Isabela gestured for her to continue. "The force of the explosion knocked us both off our feet and into a wall, where we received some minor injuries. But when we finally make it into the Hightown square, the chantry is gone, as well as some houses… but nothing like what that blast should have been capable of."
"What felt like hours later, Hawke and Anders are carried in here looking like they were…dead," she choked up on the last part, still reeling from the horror of seeing them like that.
"We did not see the explosion," Fenris spoke after her. "We were still a way off, but as we neared the city, we could see the smoke rising from it. We ran as fast as we could here and tried to help find survivors." He glanced at Cat before continuing. "There was talk of a monster that ran to the Chantry, just before it was destroyed."
"Yes," Sebastian sighed, looking over his injured friends. "Anders came, telling of how his clinic had been discovered. We found out about explosives that were placed under the Chantry…" he stopped, his face tightening in anger. "In a foolish attempt at revenge."
Cat could see Anders looking away shamefully, but she wondered what had happened for Sebastian not to be demanding his head.
"He couldn't be certain that… Adrius… hadn't gone for the explosives and was trying to give warning about the possible danger," Varric continued, knowing the prince was still furious at the mage that had died in the rubble. Probably wanted to execute him himself, he thought.
"Anders came up with the idea of shielding the blast," Hawke added, looking to Anders with pride. "Using barriers around the Chantry to prevent destruction and direct the blast upwards."
"That's… ingenious," Cat murmured, surprised at the turn in the tale.
"We thought so too," Hawke hissed as he tried to smile, and his split lip sang in pain. "But we weren't enough."
"We were evacuating the chantry when this…thing came barreling towards us," Sebastian sneered. "It definitely looked like a monster."
"It wasn't a darkspawn?" Cat turned and asked, looking to Anders, who shook his head.
"I felt it… but it felt nothing like a darkspawn or warden," Anders explained.
"All right, so we've eliminated that possibility." she breathed a sigh of relief. "Could it have been some type of demon?" she asked Hawke and looking over to Merrill.
"Not one I've ever seen," Hawke replied, thinking it through.
"I could feel a lot of power, but it felt… off," Merrill answered, her face scrunching up at either her words, or the taste of the healing potion she drank, Cat wasn't sure. "I'm not quite sure how to describe it."
"So, some type of person then," Cat mused, but Sebastian disagreed.
"Perhaps at one time, as Varric suggested, but no longer," he spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.
"What do you mean?" Fenris questioned.
"It was bigger than a normal man and its features were all… twisted," Sebastian answered. "I just wish we had gotten a better look. We only saw it as it was running past us into the chantry."
"Then there was that roar…" Varric added with a grimace.
"What about the roar?" Hawke asked. "It sounded like some crazed animal to me."
"Well… that's just it, Hawke," Varric scratched behind his ear. "It sounded more like a scream then a roar… like a scream of intense pain. And the fact that it passed all the people around it to run into the chantry. Seems more like a person seeking help to me. But that's not even the real problem."
"What is?" Cat asked, and he gave her a grim look.
"Its body had spikes coming out all over it, and it looked like the same red stuff as Bartrand's idol," Varric answered. "Almost like it was growing out of the guy." He glanced from one person to the next before ending on Hawke. "We all know what just being around the thing did to Bartrand," he reminded them.
"Then it was a templar," Cat spoke up, having everyone turn to look at her.
"How do you know that?" Hawke questioned, as the others glanced at each other.
"What?" Hawke asked, pressing.
"I don't, that's just the conclusion I've come to that makes any sense," she replied, looking away. "The templars were the ones that got it from Bartrand."
"Poor bastard," Varric murmured. "It could have been templar plate that we saw, but then it just looked like metal pieces attached to its body."
"But how is that possible?" Hawke demanded answers, looking horrified. "It affected the mind, not the body," he added. "We saw that with Bartrand, and with Meredith. This doesn't make any sense."
There was quiet for a moment and then Fenris spoke up. "What if the templar had ingested it?" he asked.
The looks of horror were now on every face, and Anders eyes snapped to Cat's, where he could see the answer plainly. "It was a type of lyrium, wasn't it," he said, not really asking, but remembering.
Silence followed, and Cat wondered if she should try to explain.
"It makes a sick sort of sense," Hawke answered finally. "Both Meredith and Bartrand were simply around the lyrium, not ingesting it. But if the templar went that far…" he left the rest unsaid.
Then he turned to Cat, looking down at her with a face free of expression. "I think it is time we talked," he stated.
Cat looked up in surprise, as Hawke sent Aveline and Sebastian out to assist the guard, and Merrill, Anders and Varric out with the servants to gather whatever supplies they could. For their part, they knew something was up, but didn't complain.
Then he sent Charade and Isabela to Leandra's home to bring news that they were all right. Isabela glanced back several times but did as he asked after giving Cat a hug.
He murmured something to Fenris, who nodded, and went up the stairs, presumably to Nyssa, Cat thought as she watched this all unfold.
That's very telling, of how much they trust him, she thought. And that is also telling… her heart cracked a little, as Hawke moved away from her.
"It's your choice," he told her, as he positioned himself several feet away from her and Nathaniel and facing them. "But we've come to this, and I won't go further without an explanation."
That small crack grew, but she pushed her emotions down. She deserved much worse.
"You know my homeland had no mages, no elves, no templars, no chantry," she explained, moving towards Hawke and away from Nathaniel in order to keep him out of this. This was about the two of them. "But we had plenty of stories about them. Stories of all kinds, and some of those stories were about Thedas.
"There were a few about the blight, about the Hero of Ferelden. Some about the conflicts between mages and templars, some about a man named Champion of his city, his fight with the Qunari, and his group of amazing friends that took on anything and anyone to protect their home."
He didn't speak; didn't even flinch at her words, so she continued. "Those about Thedas were my favorites, so I went back to them again and again, until I could practically recite them.
"Then, one day I woke in an unfamiliar city, and was attacked by men I had never seen before… only to be rescued by an assassin- that I recognized from a story."
She shook her head, wondering how he could hear this and not think her insane. Just hearing the words herself had her wondering yet again if this was some sort of crazy dream. "Things were happening in reality that I had heard before, things that had just been stories."
She shrugged, wishing she could read his thoughts so she could know how he was taking this. "It was shocking- like living in a dream- but as time went on, I just tried to learn how to survive, and tried not to mess up the story." She paused, seeing him flinch in reaction to that. "I wasn't always successful."
She sighed. "I couldn't… wouldn't just let people suffer or die, not if I could help stop it." She looked away. "However, knowing what may or may not be coming became a burden. Every day, I wondered if perhaps I had altered things so that the same stories could no longer happen. Or if, by changing the outcomes, I may actually make things worse for these people I came to care for."
She glanced up again, hoping she was making herself clear. "If by preventing pain, I may actually be weakening these people, so that they could not handle what could be coming." She looked him in the eyes now but saw no softening there. "If they do not grow by overcoming those struggles…" she left it at that, uncertain of what else to say.
He looked at her for a few moments, then turned to Nathaniel. "And how is Carver involved?" he asked rigidly. "The truth!" he barked, seeing the warden glancing at Cat.
"He is not himself," Nathaniel answered, feeling sorry for the man. "I do not think he has been for some time." He winced but continued. "Not since the Vimmark Wastes."
Hawke nodded, his face still as stone. "So, you tried to kill him," he replied. He turned to Cat at hearing her small intake of breath and nodded. "Was this part of your story?" he asked tightly. "Why bother saving him before, if only to murder him now?!"
"Garrett, I -"
He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "So, you knew me," he asked, looking her dead in the eye. "Before we even met, you knew who I was, or should I say, who I could be?"
She nodded, feeling the pain emanating from him.
"And so… what?" he asked seemingly flippant. "You thought, I'd better help steer him in the right direction?" he said, tilting his head, his eyebrows raised in question. "Can't let the story go off the path, can we?!"
She flinched at hearing his voice becoming louder, but she just looked at him in sorrow, knowing he didn't want an answer.
"All this time…" he mumbled. He started pacing, his thoughts running wild. He suddenly turned, staring at her in shock. "The relic?" he asked, hoping he was wrong.
"You…" her voice cracked, as she looked down. "You needed to become Champion," she said meekly.
"I NEEDED?!" he shouted in stupefaction, and Cat willed the tears that began to run down her cheeks to stop. "Did you EVEN ONCE think about what I. ACTUALLY. NEEDED?!"
He was heaving now, walking closer to her. He saw Nathaniel's hand go to his weapons, and he sneered at the man. "Oh, piss off," he spat. "I'm not going to hurt her."
He looked back at Cat, wondering how the wrath in his chest felt like it was doubling in size by the minute. "No… that's her job, isn't it?" he asked quietly, seeing the pain on her face giving him an odd satisfaction.
"Who cares who you hurt, isn't that right, Cat?" he asked, twisting the metaphorical knife even as his own insides twisted. "Was it just the gratification of seeing others bend to your whims?"
He leaned forward now, his voice quiet, and full of scorn. "Or did playing the Maker for so long start to make you think you were one?"
He turned then; the disgust apparent as he continued. "I'm surprised you went so far as to sleep with me," he said as he walked away from her. "But then again, it must have made it so much simpler to guide me to what I needed."
Hawke didn't turn back, he couldn't let her see the pain, the anguish on his own features. He couldn't look at her anymore, just hearing her sob had a strange mixture of pride and regret rising within him. He heard a noise, and knowing that Fenris would be coming down soon, he decided to just end it. Spewing his anger was doing nothing to abate it anyway.
"Just… go," he ordered, his voice raw from his own emotions. "They came for you, so we will all be better off once you are gone."
He could hear Nathaniel murmuring to her, and movement behind him, but he still didn't turn. He looked up, as Fenris was helping Nyssa down the stairs. He heard him say something about seeing them off through the passage in his basement, and then they were gone.
And he was alone.
Garrett wasn't feeling like a leader, nor like a Champion of anything. He felt tired; he felt broken. He turned, sitting down slowly on the staircase.
He was about ready to let it all go and scream or cry- perhaps hit something- when someone started pounding on his door.
Can't they leave me alone for a minute? he thought, miserably.
However, he knew his duty, even when he felt it was choking him. There were many people injured and even more that needed pyres that night. So, he stood and made his way to the door.
"I don't think this is a good idea," Nyssa spoke up quietly. "I'm sorry Nathaniel, but you are being hunted just as much as Cat is, staying together would be unwise."
"Like I said, Cat won't be able to sense the wardens that are chasing her without me," Nathaniel grit out. "I have to get her somewhere safe."
He looked over at Cat yet again, knowing that even though she was expecting this outcome, it still hit her hard. He gripped her hand a little harder, leading her along. He'd carry her out if that was what she needed.
"But the opposite is true as well, is it not?" Fenris asked. "They will sense you and know that they are following the correct path. Disguises and decoys cannot help with that."
Nathaniel grimaced. He had had this same argument several times himself. Giving a sigh of disgust, he nodded finally. "Yes, that's true," he admitted. "However, I don't see what another solution would be."
"Cat and I spoke of a plan," Nyssa said, looking over to her friend, who just seemed in a daze, though having overheard everything, she couldn't fault her. "But we swore that we would tell no one."
"That may be best," Nathaniel spoke, even as Fenris nodded. "But we have to get you out of Kirkwall first. Wardens could be waiting all around the city."
"Then I will protect them, and you should lead the wardens another way," Fenris suggested, though he didn't break his stride. He continued to watch Nyssa, immensely impressed at her strength and endurance for the pace they were keeping. But he knew it couldn't last. They needed a plan, now.
"That is exactly what they will be expecting," Nathaniel grit out. "We need to get to a central place such as the docks, and then go separate ways, so they do not have a chance to follow."
"We will need to book passage on several ships," Cat spoke up, her voice devoid of emotion. "We'll need to go get the money from the house."
"Not a chance, your house is most definitely being watched," Nathaniel spat. "We're trying to save your life, not hand it over."
"Who cares?" Cat mumbled, and then suddenly the group stopped, and Fenris was pushing Cat up against a wall, though he held her gently.
"Do not ever say that in front of me again," he warned her. "You have been through too much to simply give up now. If you cannot live for yourself, then live for us. We love you just as much as Hawke ever did."
She looked up at him, her lip quivering. "You're not angry with me?" she asked.
He thought it over, as was his way. "I do and say things every day that you do not approve of," he said, trying to give her perspective. "And yet you love and forgive me anyway, so I will do the same."
Cat bit her lip, telling herself that she had to deal with the fallout, she couldn't just quit. She had wanted the time with Garrett, and she had gotten it. She had made her bed… now she needed to sleep in it. She looked up at him and nodded.
He nodded back, glad to see that she wasn't letting herself wallow in despair. He had warned Nyssa that it may come, and how to help as they had packed up. He wanted to be there for her, but she had already told him that she needed him to stay with Hawke this time.
While he wanted to be there for Hawke, he didn't like sending the women he thought the highest of off by themselves.
"I'm sorry about all this," Cat said, looked at each of them.
"It isn't your fault," Nathaniel said immediately.
"I'll wait to decide until I get a better explanation," Nyssa said with a wry grin, causing Cat to chuckle without mirth.
"I have the payment from our last job," Fenris said, handing over the money to Cat. "And Nyssa has my half of our savings," he continued, looking uncomfortable at the knowing look on Cat's face.
"That should be more than enough," Cat nodded. "Okay, let's get to the docks.