Odd Times

941 Dragon Thedas

Herder Kintas felt... good.

He hadn't expected to feel that way. He hadn't planned what had happened. He had been searching for a goat. Silly beast had run off in the middle of the night. Again. Considering that said goat was his sole male in the herd and none of the kids that had been birthed were male... He kind of had to find that goat. He dreaded going back to his father and...

Why was he woolgathering? He was in danger! He had seen a vast winged shadow and fled. Then he had fallen into something he hadn't seen and his leg had hurt a lot. But then... the pain had faded.

Something washed over him where he lay. Something... odd. It felt... comforting? That made no sense.

"What the-! Who the-?" A strong female voice sounded and hands were on him. Gentle hands, lifting, pulling him out of whatever he was in. He opened his eyes, but he couldn't see anything. Was it dark so soon? It hurt, and he struggled, but he had no chance against whoever was holding him. "How did you get down there?" A rumble sounded in the distance and the voice turned a bit sheepish. "Oh... I see." Then it turned kind. Sort of. "She didn't mean to frighten you."

"Goat." He managed to croak out. "My goat..."

"Oh." The voice sounded worried now. "That goat was yours? Um... Sorry. We thought it was feral. It acted feral."

"What did you do to my goat?" He tried to sound angry. It came out petulant. The rumble came again and the female voice sighed.

"We had it for lunch." The woman or whatever said softly. "Sorry."

"You ate my goat?" He asked, tears falling despite everything. "Now... I can't expand my herd like dad said... I..."

"Oh, don't cry." The female sounded stern now. "Silly man." Another rumble. "No... What?" Another rumble, this one sounded...sterner? "Okay, okay... Oh for the love of the Maker, Julisa, you are a pain. Fine, fine, whatever. Herder, we will pay you for that goat. We didn't know it was yours. We will pay you more than enough to get you another. Maybe two." She gave a sigh. "Right now though, your leg is broken. I need to set it."

"What will I do with a broken leg and no goat?" The herder begged as the woman's hands straightened him a bit.

"In a few minutes, you will wake in your home and all this will have been a bad dream. Your leg will be fine. Your goat is gone, but you will find a pouch with some money in it. Enough for two goats." She snarled halfheartedly. "Good enough?" She wasn't asking him!

The rumble came again. Something washed over his leg and it...stopped hurting. He opened his eyes and he could see. He could see! He screamed as the elf woman in black mage's robes bent over his leg, her hands limned with blue fire. But that wasn't what made him scream. The huge scaled form that crouched behind the mage had him screaming and screaming as pain flared in his leg and pulled him into merciful blackness.

Herder Kintas woke. He stared around wildly at the walls of his small house. Nothing was out of the ordinary except that he was abed far past his usual rising time. He stared at his leg but... it looked okay. Head he dreamed that? He sat up and slid his feet to the floor. When he stood, nothing hurt. Nothing. Not even the bite that one of the silly ewes had given him... this... this morning. He stared at his hand were the ungrateful fur covered thing had bitten him when he had cleaned her and it was gone. Not even a red mark.

"What the hell?" Kintas asked nobody as he started for the door. His herd wouldn't tend itself. He opened his door and froze. A small pouch lay on his doorstep. When he touched it, it clinked. A quick glance showed silver coins. "This cannot be happening..."

He picked up the pouch and stashed it inside the door for later. He had work to do. He shook his head as he started for the pen. The goats were...subdued? They always started bleating as soon as they saw him, silly things. Some wanted food. Some wanted to get out of the pen. Some... Wait. Where was the ram? He remembered... something about chasing the silly thing up into the hills?

He went still again as he stared at something that did not belong in the middle of his yard. Something that did not belong anywhere nearby that he knew of. He suddenly knew what had happened to his goat. He reached down and touched the not-so-small iridescent scale with a hesitant finger. It hadn't been a dream. Kintas swallowed hard and then started running for Redcliffe, screaming a warning at the top of his lungs.

"DRAGON!"

Far away, but within sight

"I warned you." She stood with her arms crossed, her face severe as she watched the herder flee towards the town. A simple spell allowed her to see his face as he fled even from top of the mountains he stood on. "I told you he would remember. Damn it, Julisa! We should have just killed him and-" She broke off and froze in place as the air around her rumbled with her companion's disapproval. Her tone turned hesitant and apologetic. "Sorry. No... I... " She bowed her head. "It's... hard, Julisa."

Something nudged her and she smiled a bit sadly as she leaned into whatever it was. She didn't bother to look, she knew who -and what- it was.

"It is sad that you are more civilized than I am now." The mage said with a deep sigh. She shook her head as the air rumbled again. "No. No, I wouldn't do anything different. You are right, as always. What happened was wrong. What they did was wrong. I was young and idealistic…" She paused and scoffed. "I know you do not like me calling myself stupid but I was. In perfect hindsight, it was a serious mistake to get involved with the Venatori. But I truly believed. Calpernia offered me the chance to go and I wanted to stay because she was kind to us. All of us." She bowed her head. "And in the end? All it got her was dead." Another rumble and the elf shook her head. "No, I don't blame myself for what happened. Corypheus was always a liar. We all knew he was lying. But the bait he set was too sweet for her to resist." She choked off a sob. "She wanted to save Tevinter and he destroyed her to make his general. The others believe that the Inquisition killed her, but I saw what he did to her. What he did to you and your mother." She slumped a bit. "I may not be a good woman, Julisa, but there are limits. You are not just an animal no matter what anyone says."

The rumble sounded softer, gentler.

"Yeah." The elf gave herself a shake. "Yeah, me too. We need to move. If the authorities believe his story, and maybe even if they don't... They will send a party to scout. You cannot help but leave signs and my magic won't let me erase memories. Or... I never learned how to do that." The rumble was firmer now. "Yes. I know blood magic is forbidden according to the Chantry and sanity, but it would be useful right about now, no?" There was no response and she sighed. "I know that is what they did to you and your mother. I am sorry. I didn't mean to bring back bad memories." She held out a hand in entreaty. "Forgive me?"

Her companion pushed on her hand and she smiled a bit forlornly.

"You are so much better than me." She threw her arms around a scaled neck and fought hard not to cry. It was hard. She knew that her friend loved her. She didn't think it, she knew it. Just as she loved her friend. Love was what had brought them together though horror, fear and the darkest of magics. Through terror into the light. Now? They faced the world together.

It didn't matter that said friend was a High Dragon. It didn't matter at all to either of them. Another rumble sounded, her friend vocalizing. Not that she needed sound to communicate with her friend after everything that had been done to both of them.

"Yes." The elf said after a moment. "Further up into the mountains. We run the risk of encountering another of your kind, but there is far too much traffic down there for either of us to pass unnoticed. Guards, Templars, hunters, or Maker forbid, the Inquisition... Someone would see us." The other rumbled and she nodded. "Yes. Our only chance is to stay mobile. Stay ahead of the magisters. You know they are still hunting us."

This time, the rumble shook the mountain.

"No, I do not want to be vivesected today either." The elf said with a tiny grin. Then she nodded again. "Yes, I will join you. Yes, we were at 'Transfigurations I'."

The dragon lowered herself onto her front legs, her back legs still extended. The elf knelt beside the dragon and started to speak. No, to Chant.

'These truths the Maker has revealed to me:
As there is but one world,
One life, one death, there is
But one god, and He is our Maker.

Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him.
Foul and corrupt are they
Who have taken His gift
And turned it against His children.
They shall be named Maleficar, accursed ones.
They shall find no rest in this world
Or beyond.'

The rumble mirrored the elf's recitation of the Chant of Light.

Redcliffe Castle

"Please tell me this is a false alarm."

Arl Teagan was not in a good mood. Rebuilding Redcliffe the second time in ten years had not high on his list of wants. He had sort of understood his monarchs' decision to offer sanctuary to the rebel mages after they had dissolved the Circles. He had known a lot of mages in his life, some good, some bad. He had felt a bit of sympathy for the stories that the mages had told of the conditions in the towers. He also known Templars and he knew that the truth of the situation between the two sides had lain somewhere between their points of view, as with everything else. But what they had done to his beautiful countryside left him breathless with anger. And that was before he had been booted out of his own arling by a Tevinter magister! The situation had been resolved, and the mages had left. But the mess that had remained would take years at the very least to clean up. Even with the nasty green 'things' that had appeared with the Breach gone, the countryside still bore the scars of the battles between the insane mages and the rogue Templars. Bandits and feral animals of many kinds roamed almost freely. It had taken months to make it safe enough for villagers to return to their homes and start to rebuild. Then there had been the dragon. Again, Arl Teagan silently blessed Andraste that the Inquisitor herself had 'happened by' when the high dragon that had roosted in the valley to the East had taken flight. The battle had resulted when the Inquisitor's party had challenged the beast been loud and had ranged all over that valley, but the result was a dragon free valley. None of the miners who had worked in the area could be persuaded to go back and he couldn't really blame them for that. Dragons were scary. Powerful and lethal almost beyond belief.

And that brought him back to now.

"Please?" He begged his champion who shook his head. Ser Perth was not a verbose man. He was also getting bit long in the tooth to be riding out in armor on horseback, but Arl Teagan had no intention of saying that to the knight. Teagan felt his stomach sink.

"The captain of the guards sent scouts, since the only word was brought by a herder." Ser Perth said with a frown. "He wasn't going to send a full troop with only one sighting." Teagan looked at him and Ser Perth sighed, his face set in a mask of disapproval. "And yes, he was distracted by his proclivities. Again."

"And none of them will complain." Teagan said with a heavy sigh of his own. The knight shook his head. "Damn it. I can't get rid of him on whim. I have to have a reason beyond my dislike for him!"

"When he is not distracted, he is good at his job." Ser Perth said delicately. "He doesn't hurt anyone to the point of needing a healer and they are all of age." Teagan just scowled and the knight nodded. "Yes, I find it troubling as well. I could challenge him." The old warrior offered. At that, Teagan actually laughed.

"You would tear him apart." Teagan said with a grin. Ser Perth did not smile, but his eyes were twinkling a bit. "He wouldn't have a chance against you."

Guard versus knight on the field of honor surrounded by witnesses? Oh no. Not an even contest. In a back alley with friends? Maybe. On a dueling field? No way. Ser Perth might be getting a little old, but he was still Teagan's champion for a reason.

"What he does disturbs me on several levels, My lord Arl." Ser Perth said quietly. "He does not hide what he does. He has been open about it and no one has complained. But it does disturb me."

"Me too." Teagan admitted. "But if he isn't hurting anyone enough to need a healer and they won't complain, then there is nothing we can do. And he did send scouts...?" This last was musing and Ser Perth nodded. "Then he isn't derelict in his duties either. I can't even have a talk with him, can I?" Ser Perth did not answer, but Teagan wasn't really expecting one. The arl sighed again. "What did they find?"

"It is somewhat odd." Ser Perth said with a frown. "Ordinarily, if there is a dragon, no one has a doubt that it is in the area." Teagan nodded. Replacing all of the mining gear that had been in that valley had been very expensive. "This? There is no damage. They found scales and tracks. No sign of kills. Higher in the hills, they found a pile of fewmets, but nothing else." Fewmets, otherwise known as dragon droppings, were nasty and distinctive.

"One pile?" Teagan asked and Ser Perth nodded. The Arl shook his head. "Correct me if I am wrong, but... According to the limited dragon lore I know, dragons relieve themselves wherever they wish. All over their territory. They also leave their kills when they have sated their hunger." Ser Perth nodded. "Might it have left?" He tried to keep hope out of his voice.

"Dragons have a territory, my Lord Arl." Ser Perth said with shake of his head. "Maybe this one is young, moving into territory where the one that was slain claimed. Or it might have been moving through. but..." He broke off with a shrug. "Can we take the chance?"

"No." Teagan said quietly. "If we do nothing, the new miners will likely revolt." Getting new people to come in to work the quarry had been difficult. Keeping them if they heard about new dragon would be more difficult.

"Hard to blame them." Ser Perth replied just as quietly. They shared a grim look.

"I will send word to Skyhold, see if the Inquisitor is busy." Then he scoffed. "Is she ever not busy?" Ser Perth shrugged and Teagan nodded. "Anything else?"

"Two things." The knight said and Teagan settled back in his chair. "One, the herder says he saw a black robed mage with the dragon. But..." He held up a hand as Teagan jerked upright. "Said black robed mage healed his leg." Teagan's eyes went huge at that and Ser Perth nodded. "Hallucination or no, he got back to his house. The scouts found where he slipped and fell into a crevice. They say someone else was there. But the tracks are hard to make out."

"Black robe." Teagan said slowly. "Venatori again?"

"That or it usually means maleficarum, but..." Ser Perth shook his head. "Why would one of them help a herder?"

"Good point." Teagan said with a frown. "Most of them on finding hurt a peasant would either laugh and continue on their way or..." He swallowed and Ser Perth nodded. "Oh crap."

Mages had done horrors throughout Fereldan history and messing with the minds of innocent people was high up in the horror stories. They didn't even need to be blood mages to do bad things, as had been shown with Conner, the former arl's son. They had just finished cleaning up his mess when the world had gone completely mad. First the mages and templars had both gone collectively insane and then the sky had torn open! Even with all the help the Inquisition had given, Redcliffe was still in trouble. Outlaws and now the black robed Venatori. The black robes from Tevinter were were not all blood mages, but they were no friends of any Fereldan either.

"None of our people have any idea about magic, My Lord Arl." Ser Perth agreed. "The Chantry?"

"They are still recovering." Teagan said with a grunt. The Chantry rubbed him very much the wrong way on occasion. "I don't think they know much more than we do. Ordinarily, they would have just called the Templars, but..." His grin was sick and Ser Perth shared it. 90% of the problems that still plagued Redcliffe were direct results of the mage-Templar war.

"Wasn't Seeker Pentaghast reforming her Order?" Ser Perth asked and Teagan went still. "At least, that was the last I heard."

"She was." Teagan smiled fully for the first time since Perth had started talking. "That is very good point, Ser Perth. Thank you. Protecting the populace from evil magic is supposed to be the mandate of the Seekers of Truth. I will add the fact that we suspect foul magic to the message. Anything else?"

"One last thing..." Ser Perth reached into his pouch and pulled out a dragon scale. "This was recovered from the herder's farm. At the moment, I know of only five that have been found." Teagan nodded, but his eyes were on the scale. Something about it was off.

"That doesn't look like any dragon scale I have ever seen or heard of." The Arl of Redcliffe said slowly. "Ser Perth?"

"I did some research before I came." The champion of Redcliffe agreed. "As far as anyone knows... There have been no dragons that had that color scales."

"Until now." The Arl said, staring at the pure black scale. "Oh boy..."

Somewhere

"It is confirmed. The beast was seen."

"Where?" The other didn't -quite- snap.

"Redcliffe village in Ferelden. One of our agents managed to get her hands on a scale. It is from our quarry."

"What are they doing there?" The other sounded incredulous now. "All this time, all this expense and they are with the dog lords?"

"So it would seem."

"Tell me we have resources in the area! We need those subjects back. Preferably intact to study."

"That will cost."

"Spend as you must. That experiment cannot be duplicated no matter how many times it has been tried. We must have them both. Alive." He paused. "Not necessarily hale, but alive."

"Yes, Magister."