The argument over the planned attacks raged over the next several days. Clearly realizing that they had the upper hand, a group of the old-nobles had met the following morning right in the Grand Chantry to discuss the matter. Varric had gotten wind of it, and immediately marched the assembled Deshyrs of the Guild down to give their two cents.

Said old nobles had promptly sent runners to their friends, and by mid-afternoon the Grand Chantry was again hosting the city's combined blue-bloods as they argued and debated every aspect of the situation.

I hadn't been there, thankfully. Cullen had gone up to try and get Elthina to calm things down, only to find out that the Grand Cleric had done a quick shift in her position. She'd clearly realized the way the winds were blowing, and had effectively appointed herself as the debate moderator.

Or, to use an Earth term, the de-facto Prime-Minister.

Saemus was apparently backing it, using the excuse to let everyone else make the decisions, which didn't surprise me at all. For their part, the nobles had grilled Cullen over the planned attack, the mages' various demands, every bit of intelligence we had on the Qunari, just what had happened to me after Meredith's death, how much my actions at the Chateau were to blame for the attack, the whole nine yards.

They'd then voted, something that had nearly made me faint when I'd heard about it, with a very narrow majority deciding to let the dual attacks proceed. Hailing that as a win, we'd relayed the news to the troops, and gotten serious about the precise details of the plans.

Unfortunately the next morning came with two swift punches to the gut.

The first was an emergency report out of Darktown; the Mages had launched an attack of their own during the night. They'd killed or driven off the mix of Carta and Coterie we'd been paying to keep watch, and they'd collapsed two of the three tunnels that Cullen had planned to use in his attack. The third had seen five Templar bodies dumped there for us to find, their throats cut, warning messages strapped to them.

That they'd ignored several other tunnels that were still in the process of being sealed had told us that someone was leaking information to them. I was pretty sure it was one of the nobles, or several of them, while Cullen was convinced that the Coterie was playing both sides. Either way it didn't really matter. The mages clearly knew our plans to raid them to free the hostages, burn their food stores, and they were ready and waiting for us.

Having several of the hostages be murdered had still seen Cullen wanting to launch his raid immediately, and only the second punch of news had him hold back.

The Assembled Notables, yes that was what they'd decided to call themselves, had already been told, and they'd held an emergency vote to call off the Gallows half of the attack.

Most of the Templar officers had done their best to convince him to launch the attack anyway. Brennan, myself, and a few others had done our best to convince him not to. Firm in our opinions that we needed a new plan in light of the Mages' obvious readiness. That there was every chance they'd find a way to flood the tunnels if Cullen tried to lead troops through them.

He'd thanked us all for our opinions, dismissed us all, and spent most of an hour thinking on it by himself. Then he'd returned and told his officers that it just wasn't practical anymore. Not with the Mages' knowing about it.

That we would come up with a new plan after our attack on the Compound, which was still on. And which would now have the Templars Cullen had been going to take available to participate. Even the most strident Templar officers had to admit that the limited attack routes made it a lot riskier, and that the extra men would help the attack on the Qunari significantly.

On the home front, our preparations continued as quickly, and quietly, as we could manage. Merrill went into the Crossroads with ever expanding teams, working to find a viable exit. At Elowen's order, they began cautiously opening mirrors, checking what was on the other side of them.

So far they'd confirmed that the section we had access too seemed to all point to locations in Ferelden. I was pretty sure that meant we'd find an exit to Skyhold sooner or later, but I'd deal with that when the time came.

For my part... well, all right. Yes. Sex with Merrill had become part of both my nightly and morning routines, and yes, it did a lot to help me relax enough to be ready to face the day. Even without the physical intimacy, I'd found that Longing had been entirely correct. Just having a couple of hours to quietly lounge with my lover, to be able to have breakfast without anyone interrupting me, had been a godsend for my mental health.

Merrill took care of me both physically and mentally. Loving me, then letting me quietly vent my feelings about how everything was going. I appreciated the hell out of it, and appreciated her more than I could really put into words.

All in all, despite the setbacks regarding the Gallows, everything else seemed to be slowly improving over the next few days. Baron Killman's group forked over enough money that we were able to bribe several more knights into doing their duty, and to hire better than a hundred bored sailors as mercenaries to bolster our numbers further.

Our rising numbers left everyone certain that our attack would work. Few expected it to be an easy victory, not after how well the Qunari had fought the first time, but even I was pretty convinced we were going to win.

Right up until a few hours before sunset on the day our bombardment was due to begin. When the Grand Cleric herself came down to tell me the news I'd been half-expecting to hear.

"Grand Cleric." Cullen bowed his head, the two of us standing amid our assembled officers, senior mages, and knights. We'd been halfway through the final details for the attack that would begin in mere hours when Elthina had arrived.

"Knight-Commander." She replied serenely. "May I speak to you and your second?"

I cleared my throat, making an attempt to forestall her. "With respect, Grand Cleric, we're nearly finished with our final plans. Could it wait until we are finished?"

Cullen gave me a hard look, while Elthina gave me a quick glance of her own. My words having revealed that I knew what this was about. Which I technically didn't, it was a guess, but I felt certain in my belief that Elthina wouldn't have come down here for anything else.

"It will not take long." Elthina assured us, already turning. "If you could, please?"

We did after a final set of instructions for the officers to finish up on their own, and that we would review everything a final time upon our return. Then we followed the Grand Cleric outside of the warehouse we were using as our forward command post, finding her usual protective screen of cloistered sisters and Revered Mothers waiting for her.

They surrounded us in an escort formation, letting Elthina lead us a bit down the street. At her gesture they spread out, stopping anyone else from coming and going, giving us a bit of privacy.

She wasted no time, facing Cullen directly when she told him the news. "The Assembly held a third vote two hours ago. The attack is not to proceed."

Cullen rocked back, while I huffed and crossed my arms. "Did they strong-arm Saemus into giving them the authority to actually declare that?"

Elthina answered by not answering. "The Viscount has been against this attack since it was told to him. Only my advice, and his personal respect for the pair of you convinced him to allow it to continue. The Assembly being swayed firmly against it changed his mind."

I was ready to reply when Cullen found his voice, "They can't! Grand Cleric, they've already held two votes on this, and now you say there was a third? In the very hours before it was due to occur, when our troops are getting into position? How are we supposed to conduct any kind of campaign when Hightown changes their mind about what should be done on a daily basis!?"

"I understand." Elthina sighed, looking her age for a long moment before collecting herself. "In truth, Knight-Commander, your arguments on the merits of this attack did convince me. I spent all morning attempting to convince the Assembly not to hold a third vote, and then trying to convince them to allow you to conduct the campaign as you see fit. You have my sincere apologies for my failure."

That made me frown. I'd honestly expected Elthina to have spoken against the attack, but she seemed genuinely tired, and frustrated.

"How bad were the numbers?" I asked.

"Perhaps six to four, against." She replied, "Duke de Neville convinced several of the Deshyrs that the planned... bombardment would cause far too much damage to the city. Lord Tethras could not lure them back. The Viscount giving his own speech against the possibility of further loss of life turned several more against the proposition."

Well. Shit. I shook my head, "Saemus seriously went against your opinion on this?"

The smallest rebuke was in her voice. "I know you consider him to be my servant, Lady Maeve, but I assure you that he remains his own man. One who is taking comfort in shifting the city's leadership to the Assembly rather than bearing the burden himself."

Hm. I could well believe the second half of that, even if I remained convinced that Elthina had very much wanted Saemus to be a good little puppet.

"Well then." I said, turning to face Cullen. "That means it's time to decide what we're doing, Cullen."

He blinked several times, turning to face me. "Lady? What do you mean?"

Elthina sighed, explaining for him. "She intends to incite you into launching the assault regardless, dear Cullen."

"Yup." I agreed.

Cullen's jaw slowly tightened, his bright eyes narrowing. "Lady. We have been over this several times in the last few days. The Order is not a political force. Not anymore."

"Bullshit." I countered at once. "Cullen, if they'd done this three days ago I'd have been... shit, not all right with it, but it wouldn't have amounted to much more than grumbling. We both walked the lines an hour ago. Everyone is moving into position, getting keyed up, ready to go. How do you think they're going to take it when we tell them that Saemus called it off? That the nobles, who are too cowardly to be down here with us, told us we can't attack?"

His weight shifted, and even Elthina looked contemplative.

Emboldened, I went on. "The cancel order is too late, Cullen. If we don't launch this attack tonight, morale in our troops is going to tank. We've put too much into these plans, into working out every detail of how to do this without losing too many people. They want this fight, they want the victory over the Qunari who killed their friends."

The young man, God he was too young for his rank. We both were, turned to look around us. Clearly spotting the men and women stretching out, sipping alcohol to fortify themselves ahead of the night's bloody business.

"We have to go in." I pressed the point, doing my level best to convince him. "Fuck, blame me if you want to, but let the attack happen Cullen. Please. We'll say that we didn't get the halt order in time. That it was too late."

"...if the attack had already begun, I'd agree." He said quietly. "But the Grand Cleric herself is here with the news, and we are not yet committed. We can play it as a temporary halt, and I can speak to the Assembly tomorrow. Call for a fourth vote that will go in our favor. The men will be furious, but they'll understand a minor delay."

"A fourth vote will not go in your favor." Elthina warned him. "Each vote has gone further in favor of maintaining the sieges until the Divine's Hand arrives. The nobility has become convinced that only she will be able to achieve victory without significant cost to both lives and their treasuries."

I huffed. "Even though she won't get here anywhere close to in time? Hell, our messengers won't be there for another week, at least, and who knows how long it will take her to march reinforcements all the way down from Starkhaven? The Qunari ships will be here long before that. Hell, if they had a good wind, they could be here any day now."

Elthina shook her head. "They remain unconvinced that any Qunari convoy is coming at all."

The swear words I muttered weren't ones fit to be spoken in the presence of priests or children, but I didn't let that stop me from adding a few more descriptive terms for the Assembly. Said priest had a look of forced patience, while Cullen merely shook his head.

When I finished, Elthina spoke as if I hadn't. "The lady's question remains pertinent, Knight-Commander. Do you intend to obey the Viscount, or shall you follow in Meredith's footsteps, and appoint one more amenable to the Order? Or, perhaps, simply ignore the commands entirely?"

"I..." His face turned ashen. "...I cannot, Grand Cleric. I will not be that man. I respected Meredith beyond words, but that is... I never agreed with her interference in the city."

I stared him down as best I could from a foot below him. "If you won't do it, Cullen, then we've lost this fight."

"You do not know that." Elthina countered at once, though for the first time I thought her optimism was far more forced than genuine. Maybe a sign that she really had agreed with us about the attack. "The Mages might still yet raise the Chains. There is every chance that they will come to their senses, and realize that the Qunari are the greater threat to us all."

"If they actually believed that," I retorted, "Then they'd have waited until after the Qunari were dealt with to rebel like this. Or they wouldn't have made raising the chains a part of their bargaining position."

Her hands folded inside of her robes, eyes on mine. "There is still every chance that a peaceful path might yet be found. We merely must hold out. The Assembly may have halted this attack, but they have begun to prepare to raise more soldiers. If they are combined with the Seeker's arrival, we will surely have enough warriors of the faith to force our enemies to yield."

I was already shaking my head. "There's no way that gets done before the Qunari arrive. Hell, there's also every chance that the mages will try an attack of their own to put more pressure on us. They've already launched one little raid in Darktown, and it was a total success. That might have inspired them to start planning more of them."

"All the better to have more of our men preserved to turn back such opportunism." Elthina replied, a hand quickly rising. "Do not misunderstand, young one. I agree with you more than with the Assembly. I merely speak the nobles' points for them."

"So dissolve the damned Assembly." I told her. "I'm all for voting, that's how my people do things, but they've taken it way too far. You don't vote on military plans. All that does is cause chaos just like this."

She exhaled. "I do not have that authority, Lady."

"Bull-"

"Maeve, enough." Cullen finally snapped, stepping up between us. "Remember who you are arguing with!"

I full well knew who I was arguing with, but I pressed my lips together instead of snarking at him.

He stared me down, voice firm. "We have our orders. The attack will be postponed until the Assembly can be made to realize its necessity. We will tell the men."

I stared right back at him, desperately wishing that those hadn't been the words he'd just said. Wishing that I didn't have to shift into a new set of plans that Elowen, Varric, and I had come up with.

"I won't tell them that, Cullen." I said. "I'm all for democracy, but not this level of it. Not voting every day about whether or not we're allowed to fight our enemies."

Cullen drew back a half-step at my retort, lips parted. "Maeve!"

"No." I said firmly. "I didn't want this damned job to begin with, but I will not get told I can't do something, then get blamed for it later. You know that's exactly what's going to happen. Half of this cesspit of a city already thinks I"m personally responsible for all of this. If we don't win, if we have to try and retreat to Hightown? I'll be grabbed and lynched, along with every other Elf long before we could make the Alienage."

He was opening his mouth again when I cut him off. "I won't do it, Cullen. I resign."

"You can't." He said, clearly flailing mentally. "Lady, you are a symbol that we need."

I scoffed. "A symbol for what, Cullen? Equality? The Assembly threw Elowen out when she tried to attend yesterday. She's a baroness and they refused to let her sit, as is her right by the rules that they set up. Am I symbol for the Order? Maybe, but what good is that going to do anyone? Hell, me resigning might actually help your negotiations with the mages."

His head was shaking when Elthina spoke, her voice contemplative. "A point, Lady. They desire you to be turned over, something I will not allow, but your removal from power may serve to soften their stance in other matters."

"No." It was Cullen's turn to say the word, head shaking. "No. You are Meredith's true heir, Maeve. The bearer of her soul. You cannot resign like this, not in the midst of a campaign."

"I'm acting exactly how she'd have expected me to." I countered, "How she'd want me to, Cullen. Look me in the eye and say I'm wrong."

He couldn't, and didn't, leaving me to make my final offer.

"Let me lead the attack in." I said, "Please, Cullen. This is our best shot of taking out one of our enemies, to give us a chance to be ready for the other two. If we can take the Compound, we might be able to hold the Docks even if the Mages won't raise the chains. You can throw any blame from the nobles at me. Say I seized command, launched the attack while you were in conference with the Grand Cleric. That you couldn't do anything about it."

He looked immeasurably pained, his voice quiet. "I cannot disobey orders, Maeve."

I took a deep breath, let it out, and relaxed. "And I can't obey stupid ones."

"I... don't accept your resignation." He tried.

"It's not up to you." I told him gently. "I'm an auxiliary, serving at the Chantry's behest. Grand Cleric, do you accept my resignation?"

To my surprise, Elthina hesitated, then bowed her head in acceptance. "I do. You are released from the Chantry's service, Dame Maeve."

"Thanks." I gave her a lazy nod, turning on a heel, already walking back. "I'll be in the Alienage if you need me, getting it ready for the siege that's going to come when the ships arrive."

Cullen could only shake his head again, looking lost, while Elthina watched me go with a far more contemplative look. She probably knew I was up to something, but getting me out of my public position was likely a win for her. She was already juggling political grenades, having me go away for a bit would let her get rid of one. For a little while.

I strolled past the command warehouse without a word, leaving it to Cullen to be the one to tell them about what had happened. That was definitely cruel and petty of me, but I was too relieved to be done with this to really care. I had too many new duties to attend to, if we were going to pull off the plans we'd thrown together over the past couple of days. Well, all right. The plan that Varric and Elowen had put together, with only minor input from me. I'd mostly been busy planning for the attack that wasn't happening now.

Instead I went to where my three Squires were lounging with several others, motioning for them to follow. They quickly scrambled to their feet, hurrying after me as I led them down a side-alley.

"The nobles made their move." I told them the moment we were somewhat isolated. "And Cullen backed down. The attack is off."

Fiolya grunted, while Lanamaya and Evelyn both looked furious, even if none of them looked surprised. We'd prepared for this eventuality. Honestly we'd put more thought into it than we had for what we'd have done if the attack had gone in and actually destroyed the Compound.

Pessimistic of us? Definitely.

Realistic though, considering what was now happening.

"I resigned, as planned." I went on, "Lanamaya? Go to the Siren and tell Isabella. She'll come spend one last night in the Alienage, then she'll be sailing for Ferelden. Evelyn? You're going up to get Varric down here, we're going to make one last attempt to convince him to go with her. He might not want to come down, so tell him that I'm withdrawing all of my money. I want every bit of my gold and silver out of his vaults and on the Siren when it leaves. That'll make him realize it's serious, and that we need to talk."

Both young women nodded, leaving me to turn to my original squire. "Fiolya, you're with me. We're going to meet up with Merrill and the Night's Watch, and start sealing up the Alienage."

Evelyn cleared her throat quietly, "When do I have to leave?"

"At the last moment." I told her, "Not before. Go on, I want you both back at the Alienage by sunset. Don't linger too long anywhere near here. The troops aren't going to take the news well, and I don't know if Cullen and Elthina will really be able to keep them under control."

A final set of nods came and went, then they were darting off amid clatters of armor, leaving Fiolya and I to start using the old paths to head north.

"How'd he take it?" She asked as we moved, picking our way through the usual debris.

"Worse than I thought." I admitted, "Honestly I felt a little bad about it."

She chuckled, "He can't have been that surprised. Anyone who knows you wouldn't be."

"I don't think he actually knows me all that well." I shrugged as we emerged onto a quiet side-street, picking up the pace as best we could. "I... shit. I did kind of hope that he'd cave. That he'd let the attack go in."

Fiolya glanced at me, "Would it have really helped us?"

"I think so. We win that fight, and we'd have been able to spread out more. Been able to put our mages all over the Docks to be ready for the Qunari's ships. Really made them think twice about landing." I shook my head. "It would still have been a losing fight, I think, but it would be one that we could have dragged out. Bought more time to stockpile supplies, build barricades, that kind of thing."

"More time to Merrill find the right exit." She finished. "For the Seeker to get here with help, to buy us even more time for the shems to get distracted with all of that. We take the compound, there's a chance we'd have more than a month to evacuate."

"Pretty much." I agreed.

That had been the Alienage's best case plan, which had now gone up in smoke. We were firmly in the middle-case; I'd resigned, freeing me up to pretend to be a jilted noble refusing to get involved. Refusing to see anyone.

A nifty cover for me joining Merrill in the Crossroads, putting my own team together to explore as much of it as quickly as possible.

At the same time Elowen would get to act similarly affronted, politely refusing to let the Templars use the Alienage as a command post anymore, allowing us to better stockpile supplies. To move the Eluvian from the basement to the Chantry proper, to make it easier for people to move through it.

To start moving food and water into it, piling it up around Eluvians we didn't intend to use. To be ready to start the evacuation at any moment, assuming we had days at worst, a few weeks at best.

"Let's just hope the Templars don't try a mutiny." Fiolya teased, grinning. "Maybe they'll try to make you the real Knight-Commander. Or the Viscount."

I gave her a mock-glower. "Don't joke about that. Last thing that I need is-"

A dog barked, coarse bristles ran over my palms, the scent of roses filled my nose.

"-red alert!" I grabbed Fiolya, yanking her close just as my barrier screamed to life around us.

The incoming bolt of lighting hammered it with an eerie silence, driving me back a step, both of us flinching from the impact. I whipped my head around, following the dissipating sparks to see a woman with a staff a half-block down the empty street.

We were just drawing our swords when a second flurry of sensation came with a Rock-Fist shattering over the shield from another direction, followed quickly by Flash-Fire from a man on a roof.

"Move!" I shoved the girl into motion, my squire obeying at once, the pair of us racing north, trying to get away from the clear ambush point.

I don't know if the trio of mages set off in pursuit, I presumed so, but a cloaked figure bursting out of an alleyway stopped me from worrying about them.

My sword lunged out, batting aside the knife they'd hurled at Fiolya, my squire just quick enough to catch the second on her own blade. The cloak fell back, revealing a grim faced Tallis, more blades appearing as she moved to block our retreat towards the Nights Watch.

Two more cloaked figures appeared behind her, one holding an ax, the other with a sword, leaving us to halt in place. All of their weapons were slick and glistening, coated in toxins that would kill us with even mere scratches.

A quick look behind revealed the three mages on the street as well, each with a staff in hand, aiming them like guns at us. Growling, I muttered the words, recasting my nearly cracked barriers, keeping us ready for whatever they tried.

"And of course her squire is a mage." The woman who'd loosed the lightening spat, mistaking who'd just cast the spell. "Fucking Templars, always breaking their own rules! Hurry up and deal with them, ox-lover!"

Tallis didn't react behind a slight tightening to her lips, her fellow assassins spreading out to either side of her. Advancing slowly, not quiet charging yet. Clearly waiting for the mages to realize that the barrier was still up, and that their magic would be far better for bringing it down.

Longing!

"I warned her!" Longing replied at once, "She is on her way!"

Good. Merrill and the Watch weren't far, we just had to survive for a few minutes.

Fiolya and I backed up further as our ambushers tightened their noose; the Qunari pressing in on the right, the mages a bit farther away on the left. I couldn't see anyone out on the streets. Our fault. We'd warned everyone in the area about the upcoming attack a mere hour or two ago, advising them to leave the area, or take shelter.

They clearly had, meaning we didn't have anyone to alert the Templars and loyal Mages not more than a block or two away.

I hesitated for a brief second, then hissed. "Eyes closed girl!"

Praying she listened, I followed that up by pulling in my magic, murmuring the command for my latest spell. "Polaris!"

My raised sword abruptly flared with a pulse of white hot light that was painful even with the protective layer I'd used not to blind myself. Everyone else didn't get that extra bit of safety, recoiling in a wave of motion. The bang part of the flash-bang spell was a beat late, and far more muted than it was supposed to be. Damned work in progress.

Worse, Tallis had either heard my warning, or been prepared for more games with light. She hunched back, trying to protect her eyes, and was already dropping a dagger to grab one of her many bombs from under her cloak.

"Schwert!" I snapped, shattering it in her hand. To my disgust it wasn't an explosive grenade, instead just another of her damned smoke ones. It puffed out in a greasy cloud, swallowing her and the others, stopping me from seeing my targets.

That was fine. I had three more to go after.

My left hand grabbed Fiolya again, yanking her into motion as I ran away from Tallis, charging the trio of rebel mages instead.

All three were reeling, half-blind, their magical barriers clearly not designed to handle something as simple as a bright light.

Fiolya recovered after a couple of steps, splitting off, rushing the man on the left, leaving me free to close in on the sole woman of the group. I think she saw a bit of movement, flailing with her staff, pouring more mana into her barrier.

Meredith's gifted blade cut through her yellow sparks as if they didn't exist, the point driving between her ribs. Her last sounds were a choking gasp as it pierced her lungs, then found her heart. I twisted at my hips, yanking the weapon free, already moving on to the third mage.

He was still half-blind, but managed to deflect my first attack with a frantic sweep of his staff. His magic pulled in, then exploded out in a get-the-fuck-away-from-me shove that merely rattled my barriers.

"You're a-" His furious cry became agonized when my second thrust found his side, cutting through his robes to find his guts. He staggered, screaming, until a slash opened his throat.

I spun again, seeing that Fiolya had killed her target as well, then had to frantically parry an attack from Tallis. The taller elf didn't stop moving, driving right into me, a dagger sparking off of my breast plate. Snarling, I tried to shove her back, only for her to keep pressing in, our arms and weapons awkwardly hammering at one another.

Her ax-wielding ally used that opening to come in for the side, swinging for my neck. I managed to yank myself back in time to avoid a beheading, snarling a spell as I did. The Schwert hammered home, but dissipated off of something instead of hurling him away from me. Bastard must have had the war-paint on under his clothes, accepting whatever poison was seeping into his body in exchange for this.

A second spell merely ruffled Tallis' cloak, revealing the vitaar on her neck, and the way her eyes were starting to dilate.

Fuck. This was a suicide mission. Just to kill me. Planned out by Tallis, who'd clearly remembered I was a hidden mage.

Double-fuck!

Fiolya managed to break free from her own opponent, frantically parrying a blow on the run, a wild sweep of her sword forcing Tallis to back off for a second. Buying me space to retreat as well, the both of us going shoulder-to-shoulder as the Qunari similarly reset.

Both men lunged in on a silent signal, forcing us to defend, abusing their height and reach to keep us on the back-foot while Tallis took a step back, a throwing knife slamming point-first into my shields.

Then it was my turn to feel the sting of an anti-magic rune, yelping a the feedback as my barrier wavered. Her second throw landed hilt-first, but it was enough to trigger the effect. My shields collapsed with a painful ring The sudden headache nearly let my closer opponent cave open my chest, and only a last-second parry moved his weapon aside.

"Son of a-!" His shoulder rammed me back, a quick jab of the weapons' haft shoving me into Fiolya. She staggered, barely blocked a high slash, both of us struggling as our opponents kept up their seamless coordination.

As Tallis shattered the barrier I'd put over the girl with two more quick daggers. As the redhead circled rapidly, clearly aiming to get to that side. To kill Fiolya, to leave me to face the three of them alone.

I was just about to cut loose with fire, to hope it would break through their Vitaar, when help arrived.

Very, very, very angry help.

Merrill's usual green sparks were tinged with crimson, and the taste of blood filled my mouth when her power ruthlessly hammered through the ax-wielder's protection. He jerked, choked, then collapsed with all of his arms flailing. His blood spurting out from his lips, out of his nose.

I was ready to move, to help Fiolya, only for ma vhenan to make it a moot point.

That Qunari convert went down just as quickly, and clearly in as much agony, as the first man had. The two bodies were still thrashing when Tallis realized what was happening, turning to run as she always did.

A third spell slammed into her... and the assassin froze, trembling.

"No more escapes." Merrill said as she approached, her voice cold, staff thumping on the ground. Her own blood wet on her left ear where she'd cut herself, where red sparks were trailing up into the air to fuel the spell. "You will never hurt my heart again."

Tallis's hand slowly rose, her own dagger locked in a white knuckled grip.

"No. More." Merrill growled, a flick of her hand sending a final command through the blood-puppeting spell.

Tallis drove her own knife into her throat, swayed, and then fell.

Fiolya's voice was very, very small when she whispered. "Right. Um. I forgot she could do that."

"Deadliest mage." I murmured back, nudging her. "Let's get the fuck out of here, someone might have felt that magic. Wait, let me set the bodies on fire."

Merrill helped with that, her eyes quickly taking me in as we worked, confirming that I was all right. The moment the corpses were lit up, hopefully covering up the blood magic that had slain them, we took off at a jog, racing to meet up with the Night's Watch.