CODEX

Denerim

This new game had been ever so entertaining for Marjorlaine and profitable to boot. One by one, she had whittled down the Warden's agents in Denerim, selling them to Arl Howe for his sadistic pleasure. Sometimes, her prey wasn't even guilty, which made the game even more entertaining. Such was the like of poor Oswyn, the son of Bann Sighard. The boy had done nothing wrong other than getting a little too drunk…and crossing paths with Marjorlaine. Planting evidence of his Warden sympathies was all too easy and Howe never questioned guilt or innocence when she gave him another plaything.

Chaos, Marjorlaine thought, chaos is good for business and a weak Ferelden meant a strong Orlais. The irony was that Howe's very actions to 'save' Ferelden would cause her downfall…or at the very least a great loss of land back to the Empire. The fact that both sides paid heavy coin for her services was icing on the cake.

"No, the real icing on the cake is you, my pretty thing," she told a beaten Leliana as the girl rolled weakly on the floor, trapped in a net. "You will be the little cherry atop my treat."

Leli beat the ground with her fist and a sob escaped her lips. "No…no, Marjorlaine. Please, mercy."

The master spy took the bard's weapons and slid them away. "Ah yes, I am not without mercy, my poor girl," she said as she grasped Leliana's neck and pulled her up to her feet. Leli whimpered, fear emblazoned in her big eyes. Marjorlaine lovingly removed the net, letting her hands glide over parts of Leli's body that she had long forgotten. "Does this not bring back memories, Leli? It reminds me of when we first met. You were a lost and frightened child, just as you are now, no?"

Leliana bit her lip and closed her eyes, but then nodded. "Yes, Marjorlaine. I remember."

Marjorlaine brushed errant locks of strawberry hair from Leli's eyes and smiled. The girl would be her plaything once again. Leliana had always been too trusting and her time as a Chantry Lay Sister had only made her more vulnerable. The master spy brought her fingers down to Leli's lips and the bard kissed them, bringing an old longing to spy's body. There had been others, but Leli had always been the best. Marjorlaine involuntarily closed her eyes, imagining the heat of intertwined forms. "Come to me, my pretty thing," she said and pulled Leliana to her.

Lips met and hands pulled on knots and cords and Leliana's robes fell away. Marjorlaine could feel Leli's hands snaking their way behind her, working their way into pockets and crevices. Marjorlaine exhaled and threw her head back, opening her eyes for only a moment. Her blood ran cold.

"What the…?"

Up in the rafters was a lithe elf, holding a bloody dagger, a lecherous grin on his tattooed face. Marjorlaine pushed Leliana back and looked around for her guards, but all she saw were dead bodies where her men should have been. What kind of assassin could have done that?

The elf hopped down onto the floor and shook his hands in frustration. "Oh curses, you couldn't have waited a few more minutes to find me? Just when things were getting good," he said as he let his eyes wander over Leli's form. "Zevran Arainai, formerly of the Antivan Crows, at your service. Please," he said with a chuckle, "don't let me stop you two."

What was going on? Did Leli double cross her? With an angry shout, Marjorlaine drew her dagger and hurled it at Zevran, but the assassin swatted it away with a stroke of his own dagger. The elf was blindingly fast and closed the distance in the blink of an eye. He made a slashing cut at her throat, but Marjorlaine was not without her own tricks. She slid inside the arc of his attack and caught his wrist. Using his own momentum against him, she flung the elf into Leliana, causing the two to tumble to the ground in a heap.

The spy moved to attack, but it was far too dangerous. She didn't survive this long as master of The Game by being reckless. There would be another time – after all, the city was locked down and they wouldn't be going anywhere. "I will see you again, my pretty thing. Only, it will be your parts strewn about Denerim," she said as she smashed a window and leapt through. As Marjorlaine rolled away she could hear Leliana behind her.

"You can get off me now, Zevran. And hand me my robe!"

Foolish girl. She would not live long now. Marjorlaine sprinted to Howe's estate to alert his agents. She knew all of Leli's hideouts, all of her contacts, all of her codes. The girl would beg to die once this was all over, only she wouldn't have a tongue to do it with. As always, the spy came through a secret entrance and was greeted by Howe's agents. She would gather more forces and hunt Leli and that elf into extinction. No one made a fool of Marjorlaine and lived to tell of it. In the basement of Howe's estate, she was taken to the Arl's office, past horrific screams and cries for mercy. That would soon be Leliana and her friend.

They entered the office and again, Marjorlaine's blood ran cold. Arl Howe was placing a purse of coins into Liselle's hand. What was she doing here?

"Thank you, Liselle," he said and then patted the woman on the ass. "You have been a great servant to Chancellor Loghain. We will not forget you."

Marjorlaine stammered. "My…my lord, what is going on?"

The Arl turned and narrowed one eye. "Seize her," he said and then guards grabbed Marjorlaine, none too gently. "Ah, you thought you would play me for a fool, huh?"

A horrible, cold prickly grew in the spy's gut. "What? No. No, my lord. I have ever been faithful. That woman lies! She is one of the Warden's agents!"

Howe shoved his hand into Marjorlaine's pockets, letting his hands linger longer than necessary. "Ah…what have we here? Documents, bearing the seal of Orlais? And…hmmmm…secret correspondence from the Warden herself!" Howe's hand shot up to her throat and squeezed hard.

"No! No! It's all lies! I swear! It was Leli, curse her! It was Leli who planted those!" Now it was all clear – Leli's roaming hands putting paper in pockets.

Howe turned back to Liselle. "Thank you, my sweet. I shall see you later then."

Liselle gave him a demure smile and then looked directly at Marjorlaine, giving the spy a wink.

Marjorlaine squirmed in her captor's grip, but to no avail. "No! I know where the real spies are! I'll tell you everything!"

Howe licked her cheek and let his lips settle on her ear. "I know you will. I know you will," he whispered as if to a lover. He then opened up the sealed letters with his dagger and read them carefully. "The Warden and the Orlesians plan to stage a coup in the palace in two days. Hmmmm, these are authentic. I know the Warden's handwriting. You there!" he said to a messenger. "Take a message to Loghain. He must return to Denerim at once or else his daughter's crown will be in jeopardy. Tell him we'll be ready for them."

Marjorlaine began screaming and thrashing about. Panic was setting in. How could this have happened? The Arl waved his hand at her dismissively. "Prepare her for me. I'm going to enjoy this," he said. A man with a black mask stuffed a rag in her mouth and, as guards dragged her away to the dungeon, she thought she saw a woman in lay sister robes blowing her a kiss.