Vetri stood leaning against a pillar, watching Zevran as he interacted with the local children. Leliana's messenger had told them to wait outside while he announced her arrival. Being back in Lothering made her skin crawl; it was like having thousands of ants biting at her. She had spent days here helping the people and resupplying. This was where she had met Sten, trapped in a cage not far from here. Why would Leliana do this to her?

"She's ready to meet you, milady." The messenger bowed his head slightly. It was made worse than it already was that he was dressed like an unassuming elf servant. She wanted to gut him right there. Elves have enough masters to worry about than to treat their kind with any similar respect.

"Ah-ha!" Zevran laughed as he side-stepped a human child's wooden sword attack, only to be nicked against his side by a girl pretending to be a mage.

He gasped, feigning hurt, and dropped to the ground. "You have got me! My assassination attempt on the king has failed."

The children laughed, and he laughed with them. His dirty blonde hair was tousled, and his hood lay skewed over his shoulders.

Vetri rolled her eyes, "Zevran! Let's go." She didn't wait for him and followed the messenger into the refurbished remains of the Chantry she had visited all those years ago…

It was rebuilt all right, but the main floor still looked so abandoned. No refugees or Templars were hanging around now, nor any Chantry sisters. No, they would be at the new Chantry down to the south of Lothering — and from the banners hanging in the center, it was quite clear it was now the headquarters of the remnant Inquisition. Her eyes lingered on the symbol, drinking in the intimidating idea of an organization capable of shaking the earth. When she had written to the Inquisitor nearly two years ago, it had been amicable and polite. She didn't want anything to do with another end of the world. Heroes rose, their every step worshiped, but at the end of the day, she was just a dirty city elf. Born and raised in an alienage. The Inquisitor might have been Dalish but they were no different.

Hurried footsteps, light but still there made her turn around as Zevran joined her once more. She wanted to say something pointed, but he brushed her off and went to the messenger instead starting some small talk. She felt slighted. He usually forgave her by now. Vethari was sure he could feel her intense gaze fixed on the back of his head. How did he charm people with such ease? How did he break past her walls….and why did that make her hate him?

They reached the second floor, and the messenger opened the door, allowing her to see Leliana physically brace herself next to an unfamiliar woman. By the markings, Vetri could deduce she was a Seeker, and if the stories she had heard had any merit, then this would be the infamous Cassandra Pentaghast.

"Dear Leliana!" Zevran smiled, genuinely this time, as he embraced his old friend. Leliana seemed caught off-guard, but soon enough she returned the embrace. There was a small smile on the spymaster's lips. Vethari felt a jealous pang shoot its way through her body.

"Likewise, Zev. How have you been?"

"Besides being handsome, dashing, and the most skilled assassin in all of Thedas? I've been doing great since the Inquisitor helped me with that little problem."

Leliana crossed her arms, "You mean when I helped you?"

Vethari inclined her head, acknowledging Leliana's words. The bard still had that melodious voice, always sounding calm but hinting at a deadly edge beneath the surface.

"Ah, but the Inquisitor chose to use my services. The money served me quite well."

"Ugh," Cassandra responded, and he chuckled, unaffected.

"I told her you are nothing but trouble."

"But was I?"

Cassandra sighed, "No. I suppose you weren't. I read the reports and it was the better option than to align ourselves with the Crows."

Vetri raised a brow and then walked over to the nearest desk, overlooking a map of Thedas. Cassandra seemed to realize that she hadn't introduced herself, "Forgive me, Warden C-"

"-Just call me Vethari, Seeker Pentaghast."

Cassandra blinked, "How did you know?"

"You're at Leliana's side, the Inquisition's banners are hanging tattered downstairs. You can only be Cassandra Pentaghast. Doesn't take a genius-"

"Right. Of course, I didn't realize I was still so famous."

Vethari smiled thinly. "We can't escape our reputations." She ran her gloved fingers across the map, mentally marking all the places she had been. Her eyes fell on a letter, the one she had sent. It angered her, as she was sure that Leliana had left it out intentionally to irritate her. She had sent this to the Inquisitor, not the Nightingale.

"It's been a while, Leliana. Are you still huffed up on visions of the Maker?" Vetri mocked slightly, the reference wasn't subtle. She hadn't forgotten how Leliana had come to join her band of misfits back then. Alistair had been happy to have someone other than Morrigan and the mabari to keep him occupied.

Cassandra narrowed her gaze and Zevran visibly tensed.

Good, Vethari wanted them on the edge so that she could control how the next few words spoken between them would go.

"I'm surprised you didn't say something the second you walked in Vetri. That's new for you." Leliana shot back and Vethari couldn't help but let out a snort. The idealistic girl she had known was clearly not there anymore. Leliana was much more hardened now.

"Seems I'd be a fool to think you are still the same…thank you for meeting with us. Zevran said you have information on the Calling? " Vethari conceded.

The spymaster nodded and grabbed a book from her table; it looked well-worn. "A friend of ours recovered this from the Deep Roads, and then he proceeded to study it. It speaks of the ancient elvhen gods."

Vethaeris sneered, "The Elven gods? Your only offer for me is some fairy tale peddled by the Dalish?" She ripped the book from Leliana's hands, and Zevran rubbed his face, his exhaustion clearly visible. "Vetri, don't dismiss this."

"You think I haven't already looked at it all? I've studied ancient rituals, and artifacts and I even tried to see if it could be removed by blood magic!"

Leliana remained stoic, "I did not mean to imply that you haven't looked into these things. But we know things that the rest of Thedas could only dream of."

"So, you still hear it then? The Calling…." Cassandra stepped forward, her hand moved to her blade at her side, the sudden air of distrust very clear and Vethari gripped the book tightly. "I heard it when that Tevinter magister called the Wardens to him. A sour, vile song beckoning us to the depths. The abyss - I fought against it's influence, for as long as I could."

"Vetri…." Zevran stepped forward, but she refused his comforting touch, her shadowed eyes burning. "I refused it. I defied a god and yet, when the false singing ended I could still hear it. This book is nothing, you have nothing!" Vethari yelled out and chucked it at the ground. "What do you have that I already haven't looked at!?"

"A living breathing elvhen god." Leliana interjected, eyes piercing into Vetri's.

"What…."

"We know an elvhen god, and he knows about the Blight, its effects, and what really lies behind the Calling. That book was in his possession for nearly a year. We were able to retrieve it from his quarters at Skyhold, we sent a company of men for it. They nearly died for it. That book contains his notes."

Vethari's heart started beating in her chest, "Gods, the Maker…. They don't exist. Least of all the elvhen ones. They are just figments of the Dalish's imagination."

Cassandra released her blade, "He's not really a god, just a powerful and ancient mage."

Zevran picked up the book and brushed it off, flipping open the pages and studying the scribbled notes. He sighed, "It's in Elvish. We don't know Elvish."

"You believe them?" Vethari looked at him incredulously.

"Why would they lie, Vetri? What purpose would that serve? I just- cannot believe that you have something like this, Leliana."

He flicked through pages further, and Vethari caught sight of multiple sketches, they seemed to come alive. She had to blink to make sure the images weren't moving. What did Cassandra say? He was an ancient, powerful mage?

"Who is he then?"

"Fen'Harel. The Dreadwolf." Leliana joined Zevran's side and Vethari realized that her Crow was unnerved. This nervousness was present in his fingers, it was because she knew Zevran that she could see the uncertainty as he flipped through the pages, now faster than before. It wasn't a subject broached often between them, but Zevran was proud to be an elf and things like this often affected him more than he let on. She knew differently. The idea of a Dalish god being real, the Dreadwolf at that, was bound to make his demeanor crack. He landed on a page with more detailed images there were notes on the darkspawn and even an archdemon.

It reverted her to the nightmares she had been battling.

"We knew him as Solas, he was our friend. Or we thought he was." Cassandra spoke up.

Vethari looked at Cassandra, and she must have looked bewildered because Cassandra pulled a chair close and poured a mug of ale for her. The gesture was appreciated, but she wasn't going to thank the human warrior.

"Let's start from the beginning. It started with the hole in the sky..."