"We need to help her," Varric hissed from their hiding place nearby, watching as the dragon circled Jacquelyn, eventually blocking their view of the young noble.
"I agree," Dorian muttered, "but I don't see how. Three of us? Against a dragon? We wouldn't stand a chance."
"Speak for yourself!" Bull scoffed, his face betraying boyish wonder, maybe even glee at a close up look at the dragon. Just a glance at him and you could tell he wanted to have a go at the beast, but he was sensible enough to know that he wouldn't stand a chance against it alone, and Dorian and Varric seemed much more cautious about facing it.
"So how are we going to play this?" Dorian asked, ignoring the qunari. "We can't just go charging in, we'd be dead within seconds, and so would the Herald."
There was a slight edge to his voice at the mention of Jacquelyn, but he still knew his duty. He mightn't agree with some of her choices and actions, but she was their best chance of fixing things. He knew that better than anyone.
Well, almost anyone.
"You leave it to someone who is happily mildly suicidal."
They spun around at the new voice, Varric aiming Bianca at the newcomer, Dorian's fingers buzzing with lightning, ready to be released at a moment's notice, Bull adjusting his grip on his axe slightly. Though if they were to stay hidden Varric's attack would be the best bet, even if he was the one with the strongest look of doubt on his face as they watched the stranger in Venatori armour.
"Hey, watch it! Friendly fire is not okay!"
They removed the hooded helmet, revealing the familiar white and purple eyes. Varric grinned, lowering Bianca, the sparks fading from Dorian's fingers, and Bull's axe falling to the ground next to them.
"Maker's balls, am I glad to see you, Spooks!"
"Yeah, well... seems like running away from this mess is easier said than done. I'm gone for a couple of hours and this place falls to shit."
"If what we saw in the future is to make any sense –"
"Stop right there, Dorian. I don't need to think about all that destiny crap right now. First I need to get you lot out of here and to safety, then I can worry about Trevelyan."
The objections started straight away, Siara standing there with an eyebrow raised. Dorian didn't say anything. He trusted Siara to have some kind of plan, or at the very least that she would have her reasons for not wanting them around. He mightn't know her well, but he trusted her. She'd been there to help when no one else had been, She'd had his back when they were flung through time. He trusted her to have his back, the least he could do was have hers.
The objections died down as Siara crouched before them, her blades placed on the ground beside her as she peered around the rubble they were hiding behind. For a moment she didn't say anything, a calculating look on her face. Then she turned to look back to Varric and Bull, her eyes resting for a moment on Dorian with a thankful look in them.
"I'm not going to put more people at risk than I have to. You lot had a plan before coming out here, yes?"
"Shoot the trebuchet at the mountain and bring it down," Dorian promptly responded. Siara nodded, peering around again.
"That's something I can manage on my own. If there are too many people around then this won't work. How did everyone else escape?"
"A path out the back of the Chantry," Bull didn't sound a hundred percent happy about admitting to this.
"Can you get to it?"
"It's hidden, and the Chantry door are bolted."
"Break a window. The path will be more obvious now that everyone else has been through it. Varric should know enough to be able to track everyone if needed."
"I'm not leaving you, Spooks."
"I've lost my brother, found out my sister died long after I thought she did, and am about to risk my life for someone I can barely even tolerate. I'm not going to lose the closest thing to a father figure I've got to some stupid suicide mission," Varric, for once, looked at a loss for words. "I'm not going to lose you, too."
This time Siara's words were barely audible, and she quickly looked away.
"We'll make sure we all get out of here," Dorian assured her. "You worry about getting the Herald out of here. You know as well as I do what will happen if you don't."
"Don't remind me."
But there was a small, slightly cruel smile on Siara's face as she slipped away, neatly scooping up her twin blades.
"Spooks," Varric called, Siara half turning to look at him, "be careful. You're not the only one who lost people they care about."
"I know."
Then she was gone, disappearing as suddenly and silently as she had arrived.
"Care to lead the way, Papa Varric?" Bull teased, earning a glare from the dwarf and an almost amused glance from the mage.
"That's the most emotion you've shown since I died," Jacen muttered as Siara slipped into a better position to see from, silently clambering up a fallen roof before leaping to a nearby mound, Jacen never far behind her. Her movements were swift, flawlessly executed, her reactions and skills honed from years of experience. Experiences that Jacen was now convinced he was forgetting, but the thing that confused him most was how right it felt. Jacen stayed close to Siara, darting ahead of her as he spotted the outcrop she was headed towards. From here they could see and hear everything that was going on below.
"Well... at least we know that Jacquelyn is still alive," Jacen looked around at Siara as she settled beside him, a determined look in her eyes.
Jacquelyn was collapsed on the ground, her sword and shield fallen to the side, near the trebuchet. They couldn't see her face, but both Siara and Jacen could hear the crackle of the mark, and Jacen could feel the air buzzing slightly, the pull of the Fade; of home. The quiet, the peace, the knowledge that he could find serenity, if only he reached out. He felt Siara shift slightly beside him, automatically reaching out to place his hand on her shoulder.
He couldn't find purpose in the Fade. Not yet.
"Not yet," he whispered. "There's a dragon and... whatever that guy monologuing is. You wouldn't last ten seconds, and Jacquelyn would go down too. Your chance will present itself. Just wait."
Siara scolded, her ears twitching irritably, something they only did when she felt helpless and agitated, or being forced to be patient in a high-risk situation, like now. Her muscles were still being forced to stay relaxed, Jacen could tell. She wanted to tense, wanted to strike, but she couldn't. She had to wait for an opening.
"What does this thing do?!" Jacquelyn cried, pain thick on her voice, fixed with fury.
"It is meant to bring certainty where there is none," the creature voice was deep and accented, his words well formed despite how difficult talking must have been for him, considering the crystals deforming his face. "For you, the certainty that I would always come for it."
The creature started walking towards Jacquelyn, Siara's body tensing.
"Not yet."
A quiet, irritated growl slipped from Siara, but it was short, too short for anyone to place where it came from if they heard it.
The creature bent down and picked Jacquelyn up by the marked hand, her feet dangling uselessly in the air, her wrist completely lost in his hand.
"I once breached the Fade in the name of another," he was saying, "to serve the gods of the Empire, in person. I found only chaos and corruption, dead whispers. For a thousand years I was confused, no more. I have gathered the will to return under no name but my own, to champion wither Tevinter and correct this Blighted world. Beg that I succeed, for I have seen the throne of the gods and it was empty."
He cast Jacquelyn aside as though she weighed nothing, her body landing in a collapsed heap as her head smacked against the trebuchet, knocking her out cold. Siara adjusted her stance slightly, judging the distance between her and Corypheus, who Jacen could now simply recognise. Something during the monologue made something click, gave Jacen access to new information, new understanding, clarity about things he shouldn't understand, not with what he used to be.
"The anchor has become permanent, you have spoiled it with your stumblings," he said, Siara glancing at the dragon before pushing herself from the ledge to its head, a roar of rage and surprise escaping it before she threw herself from it. Her twin blades dug into the gap between the collarbone and neck either side of Corypheus' head, Siara neatly balancing on his shoulders before ripping her blades put, twisting them hastily before she flipped out of range of the pain-driven darkspawn, who thrashed about slightly as he was blinded by a range of different emotions and his own blood.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to monologue?" Siara quipped. "Leaves you far too open to attack."
She stepped back and crouched quickly beside Jacquelyn, pressing two fingers to the woman's neck to check for a pulse. It was faint, but there. Corypheus regained composure alarmingly quickly, glaring cold, emotionless eyes at Siara. Jacen was next to his sister in a flash, positioning himself in front of Jacquelyn.
"You cannot harm me, elf, though your attempt was commendable."
"Compliments from a dead man, that's a new one. You might want to get those checked, ya know. My blades are enchanted."
"They do not hurt me," Corypheus told her, slowly stepping towards Siara and Jacquelyn, "just as you cannot kill me."
"I'll still give it a bloody good shot if I have to," Siara grumbled. "Pretty sure it's fuckers like you my sister was fighting against. If she could manage it, then... Well... I ain't gonna be shown up by some dead blood mage, am I?"
"Give me the human. I have no qualms with you."
"I just said my 'fuck you' speech, do I need to repeat it? Are you a little deaf? Red lyrium growing in your ears? Shouldn't you be insane if that is actually red lyrium? Oh, wait..." she never took her eyes from Corypheus, watching his every movement. "Trevelyan, get the hell up so we can get out of here."
The Herald's eyes fluttered, Jacen recognising the dazed expression. Corypheus was evidently done talking, simply striding towards Siara and Jacquelyn, his movements full of purpose.
"Jacquelyn, if you don't get up right now, I'm leaving you to this guy."
"You would not dare," Jacquelyn's words were slurred, but she managed to reach out and grab her sword and shield. Siara helped drag her to her feet after slipping one of her blades to its place on her back, supporting Jacquelyn as best she could as the Herald swayed back and forth.
"Well, Mister I-don't-know-or-care-what-your-name-is –"
"Corypheus," Jacquelyn interrupted, Siara rolling her eyes.
"Pleasure to meet you, hope you die."
And with that, Siara kicked the lever to fire the trebuchet, already dragging Jacquelyn away. Corypheus turned to face the cliff as it started rapidly approaching him. Jacen watched as the dragon scooped him up and carried him to safety, the avalanche wiping Siara and Jacquelyn off their feet, sending them tumbling down, down, to who knew where.