Finding Bellara in the forest had been a stroke of luck, even if the three of themselves had to break out of a veil bubble and fight off darkspawn. Isabella never thought she would see a darkspawn, let alone fight one. Regardless, the three of them were able to return to the Veil Jumper camp with Bellara and her artifact by the end of the day.

It was shocking to see how many people had been injured, and Isabella wondered if this was normal for Veil Jumpers. She got her answer when she saw how distraught both Strife and Irelin were when they approached. They had lost contact with another colony, and there were several more Jumpers simply missing. The wild magic that the gods had unleashed was wreaking havoc on them without reprieve.

"You're back!" Irelin nearly shouted as Isabella waved to catch their attention.

"How have things been here? It looks like everything has been rough," the Crow commented, noting the injured around them. Irelin sighed as Strife nodded.

"We're still missing a lot of Veil Jumpers, but we're getting by. We're evacuating nearby Dalish settlements that might be in the gods' path. So far, we've been able to get there just in time to get them out, but I have a feeling that we're pushing our luck," he remarked, placing his hands on his hips.

"Then we need to keep stretching it until it breaks," Isabella replied, chewing on her lower lip.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you mentioned something about D'Meta's Crossing when we walked over. You've lost contact with them?" Bellara piped up, stepping forward.

"Yes, we sent two Veil Jumpers, and we haven't heard from them or anyone from the town. The whole village has gone dark," Strife explained as Bellara looked over at Isabella.

"Then that's where we should go," Isabella replied, catching onto Bellara's meaning. It would also help them possibly figure out what the gods could be planning if they left anything behind. It was a long shot, but it was better than nothing. "We can figure out what happened and bring back your Veil Jumpers."

"That would be one less thing to worry about," Strife exhaled with a hint of a smile.

Irelin pointed on a map where the village was across the lake as well as where the dock was. They had a spare boat they could take as well, and in the meantime, the Veil Jumpers would keep up the warnings and evacuations. Isabella nodded, nervous to take an aquatic route, but she kept a brave face as Harding made her case for accompanying them.

While Isabella would have preferred that Harding continue resting, she couldn't make the excuse that the Jumpers still needed her. Plus, the four of them working together would be better than just the three of them. Once they had everything they needed, Bellara led the way down to the dock.

Isabella hesitated as the other three climbed into the wobbly rowboat. Bellara held her hand out to the Crow, who took it as the Jumper helped her onto the vessel. Isabella held her breath as the boat rocked before she sat down, trying to get in the middle. If anyone noticed her nervousness, they didn't mention it. Not that she would talk about her fear of water. It felt silly in the grand scheme of things.

Neve and Bellara rowed them to the other side of the lake to the misty village, which was dead silent. Isabella took a deep breath, noticing the toppled boxes of vegetables and goods left abandoned on the pier. It was in the afternoon at this point, but the docks should still be bustling with people and business at least. Instead, it was left abandoned and eerie.

As the boat hit the pier, Isabella jumped out onto the boardwalk with her bow at the ready. Everything felt wrong here, and she was prepared for an ambush at the best. Harding and Bellara ran ahead as Neve walked next to Isabella as the Crow watched the rooftops.

"Where is everyone?" Bellara whispered as she checked the market stalls and house windows. Isabella frowned, thinking it was strange that the village was empty. It wasn't just devoid of life; it was also devoid of corpses. There were no signs of where the people went or what happened to them. Until they found the barricade.

"Were they trying to keep something out?" Harding wondered as Isabella shook her head.

"They were trying to keep something in," Isabella clarified. She noticed the barricade was fashioned to be sturdy from the outside, not to the inside. If they wanted to, they could take down the obstacle. "We should see if there's another way inside."

"There's a lower barricade over here," Neve pointed out. Isabella nodded.

The Crow hopped the reinforced fence with her rapier drawn when she saw the horrors the village had been hiding. The glowing red pulse of the blight repulsed her as the scent clogged her nose. It was the scent of decay and rot with an underlay of mildew. She nearly retched as Bellara gasped behind her. Further on, Isabella could see a few villagers standing around. There were survivors after all, even in this nightmare.

"Hello?" Isabella called out, walking towards them.

"We must keep them in. We'll be rewarded," the villager droned on, staring straight ahead. Isabella waved a hand in his face without a reaction from him.

"His mind his gone. This is very powerful blood magic," Neve lamented as Isabella swallowed. There were survivors, but they were still casualties in the end as well.

"We need to see if anyone else is still alive," the Crow informed as they pressed on.

The blight grew thicker in some parts of the village, cutting off entire roads and houses from them. Some of it was black and dead while other pieces resembled pulsing flesh as it glowed a deep crimson. Isabella had never heard of the blight looking like this, and she wondered if it had something to do with the gods or the wild magic.

Eventually, as they passed through more controlled villagers and corpses, they made it to the town center where the blight was the most intense. The villagers droned on about going inside, pointing at the blight conglomerate. Isabella shot an arrow at a boil, causing it to explode and clear a path into the center of the building.

"Is it safe?" Harding wondered as Isabella shook her head.

"I doubt it, but I don't have a better idea. We need to see what's going on, and maybe there will be answers inside," Isabella replied with a shrug. "Just don't get the icky bits on you. I think the dried part of the blight is safe to touch, but who knows about the rest."

"How do you know?" Neve asked.

"I grabbed a dried tendril when I hopped the first fence before we saw the blight, and I seem fine so far," Isabella answered. The other three looked skeptical, but the logic was sound enough for now.

They pushed through the tendrils into an almost cave-like area where they found the two missing Veil Jumpers. One had died before they arrived while the other was being absorbed by the blight as they entered. Bellara spoke to the Jumper, learning what had happened and giving some words of comfort. The Jumper seemed to ignore her, trying to warn them to leave.

Isabella nearly herded them back out towards the pier to take the Jumper's advice when she heard another voice. It was a clear, panicked voice, not something the droned villagers sounded like. She turned and cut through the blight to reach the last person still alive.

Outside the blight, there was a man squirming in lively tendrils that were holding him down. Isabella stared at him, shocked to see him in such a predicament and still alive. Then the ground shook as a dragon landed in front of them, growling and protecting its meal.

"Hey!" Isabella shouted, jumping in front of it. If she could startle it off, the better. Then a strange voice cut through the wind as the dragon backed off.

"A strong heart indeed. Come to me creature," the voice drawled before the dragon flew away back into the forest. Isabella stared at where it went, confused on what exactly just happened before the man called to her.

"Please help me," he begged as she turned her attention back.

"Wait, I know you. You're the mayor of this town," Bellara mentioned, her mood darkening. Isabella took a calming breath as she put the pieces together. The villagers had mentioned the mayor and his demands in their murmuring.

"What happened here?" Isabella demanded as the mayor cowered.

"The gods did something, I swear it wasn't my fault," he pleaded. Isabella glared at him at the mention of the gods, silently pressing for him to continue. "They promised so much gold, and they said they would spare the village to witness the glory of Ghilan'nain's creation."

"The blight," Isabella sneered before scoffing. "And what did it take for her creation? The Veil Jumpers?"

"She said if I lured them here, the village would be spared," the mayor repeated as Bellara glowered. "I didn't know she was going to bring back the blight!"

"So, she did a blood ritual to bring the blight, and used your village as test subjects," Isabella reiterated, shaking her head. "And you did it all for gold."

"They get into your head, and they offer you everything. No one could resist that," the mayor whispered as Isabella scowled.

"Watch me," Bellara hissed before turning to Isabella. "I vote we leave him here. It's what he deserves for selling his village out."

"You can't leave me here! What if the dragon comes back?" the mayor sniveled. Isabella stared at the lake in an effort to keep from rolling her eyes.

"Wolves will get him in the night," Neve mentioned, glancing between them. "Or worse."

"He should have protected his village better," Harding shrugged.

"It's a steep price to pay, and we're the ones to choose it?" Neve wondered as the three of them turned to Isabella. Her anger reflected Bellara's as she thought of the hundred villagers that lived here peacefully before the blight. All dead or gone now.

"He should have thought of that before selling his people for money," Isabella remarked, turning to Bellara who nodded. "Don't the grey wardens take people like him?"

"I would think so, but it would take some time for them to get out here," Harding mentioned as Isabella sighed.

"No, I can't go to the wardens, I'll never survive against the darkspawn!" the mayor shouted. The Crow clenched her jaw at his wailing before turning to Harding.

"Send word to the wardens and let them know that he's here. We have more pressing matters to attend to. We need to figure out how to stop these so-called gods," Isabella informed as the mayor shouted behind her. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it satisfied most everyone. The man didn't die, but he wouldn't walk away free either.

~C~

The boat ride back was quiet and tense as the realization of what they had just witnessed kicked in. The blight was back, and it was new and different in ways that couldn't be properly explained. Isabella hoped that the wardens that picked up the mayor would see and be able to deal with it somehow. They were the experts after all.

And it was all because of one small blood ritual performed by a small-town mayor without any mage abilities. Now the gods released the blight, and Ghilan'nain was the one who the mayor mentioned. She was the one who brought the blight in through the ritual. They needed to get a handle of what they were up against, and they needed to put together a team. At least they had Bellara now to help with the eluvian, and Isabella hoped that she would stay for the long haul. If the gods could make the old artifacts act up, then it would be good to have her available. Plus, there was plenty of room at the lighthouse.

Although, once they got the eluvian working, they would need to build a team if they wanted a chance against the gods. Crows didn't generally work in teams, but Isabella found that something like this required more expertise than she had.

And if the gods were essentially ancient mages, maybe she could get the services of the Crows most feared mage killer. The Demon of Vyrantium was their best, even if she hadn't heard any rumors about him in a while, even before she was banished. Still, it would be worth a try and a letter.

After that, she would ask the others what they thought would be helpful. Assassination and stealth were her strong points, so she could help recruit people of that nature. Otherwise, she wasn't sure who else to bring in. Maybe another mage to help with the wild magic, and a grey warden would help if the blight continued to grow out of hand. She didn't know anything about blight or darkspawn, so having an expert would be helpful in certain ways.

Of course, this was assuming that Harding and Neve wanted to stay as well. Varric was bedridden, so he was stuck in the Fade until he could at least walk, but Harding and Neve would be free to go their separate ways if they chose to. Then Isabella would need to find another scout and tracker to replace them, which could be difficult as well.

As her thoughts spiraled, the boat rocked slightly as it hit the dock. Isabella looked around before getting back onto land, letting her thoughts slip away for now. They needed to catch back up with Irelin and Strife, so they knew what had happened at D'Meta's Crossing.

When the four of them made it back to the Veil Jumper camp, the place seemed a little less hectic as they were able to account for most of the Jumpers and Dalish communities. Bellara was the first to address the two Jumpers, quickly explaining what they witnessed and the fates of the people there. Isabella took a deep breath when she heard the story she experienced, still feeling raw from the experience.

A crow flew overhead as Isabella heard its call, and she turned to see it. Wondering if maybe the Crows had found her, she went to call the bird before seeing that it had turned on its own towards him. Curious, she instead watched as the bird grew closer before turning into a woman before their eyes. Isabella, while disappointed it wasn't one of her Crows, was equally impressed with the magic involved.

"Lady Morrigan!" Harding greeted her with a grin.

"Tis simply Morrigan to you, Scout Harding. How lovely it is to see you again," the mage replied, visibly relaxing.

"Morrigan was one of the people who helped with the Inquisition when I was a part of it," Harding mentioned.

"With everything going on, we thought we would reach out and see if she could lend a hand," Strife explained as Morrigan nodded.

"It was a pleasure to help then, as it will be now. We shall need all the help we can get when it comes to stopping Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain," she agreed, staring at Isabella.

"We'll gladly take any help," the Crow replied with a half-smile, which was met with relief.

"How refreshing to be met with a cooperative nature," Morrigan replied as her stance relaxed slightly. "While the actions of the Dread Wolf's actions have been questionable, his decision to imprison the Evanuris was just. If the two released are free to roam, that would mean the end of Thedas as we understand it."

"We can't let that happen," Isabella informed sternly as Morrigan chuckled.

"Oh, the confidence of youth. You shall need a great deal more of it if you want to pull this off," the woman continued.

"I'm hoping you have an idea," Isabella wondered as the mage nodded.

"Forget about their godhood and see them for the ancient mages that they are. When facing them, you will require powerful magic of your own," the mage explained, noting the two mages already standing with Isabella. "Tell me, what was Solas using during the ritual? Were you able to recover any of the tools he used?"

"There was a dagger, but it was, uh, lost in the chaos," Harding answered, staring at the ground. Isabella had completely forgotten about it, especially since the last time she had seen it the blade had been lodged in Varric's chest.

"Then it would be beneficial for you to find it. It would be better in your hands than in the hands of the gods," Morrigan offered as Harding nodded.

"Is there anything else you could think of that would be useful? We found ourselves in his, well, he called it the lighthouse," Isabella mentioned as Morrigan brightened at the mention.

"The fabled Sanctum of the Dread Wolf, yes. Tis said that his eluvian, the Vi'Revas, could travel between any other eluvian of his choosing," she answered.

"It doesn't right now. It only takes us to Arlathan," Harding complained.

"I can take a look," Bellara reminded with a shy smile. "I bet I can fix it. Probably."

"I was hoping you would say that," Isabella replied with a wink.

"Could be tricky, though. We're banking that eluvians even work the same way after the gods changed the magic," Bellara continued before her brain kept turning. "Everything is different now with the gods. Our gods. And they're back, killing people and blighting the world. What are we supposed to do about that?"

"We can't panic. We have to take this one step at a time and support each other. If we work together as a team, we can get this done," Isabella answered, nodding her head towards Bellara, hoping to calm her down a little. Bellara took a deep breath, centering herself as best she could. "Now, Bellara, I'll have you get back to the eluvian and see what can be done about that. Harding, Neve, and I will go find the dagger. After that, we'll regroup and figure out next steps."

"Any idea what those will be?" Neve wondered. Isabella shrugged with a smirk.

"I'm thinking of putting together a bigger team with more expertise than what we have already. But for now let's focus on the eluvian and the dagger," Isabella instructed, turning back to Morrigan.

"Be strong and be brave. This is the time where heroes are forged or slain," Morrigan warned before Isabella motioned for them move.

Once they made it back to the eluvian, Bellara headed through the mirror to work on the magic. Isabella took a deep breath after calling a Crow. It took a few tries, but one found her eventually as they made their way to the site. Harding pushed ahead as Neve held back with Isabella. While they had made their way through the forest, Isabella had written the short letter to Viago about her request.

"Odd to be writing letters at a time like this," Neve mentioned as Isabella shrugged.

"I think I might have a lead on a person we would want to recruit," she explained before she spoke to the Crow, sending the letter away. "But I need to make sure that the groundwork is laid before I just start making requests."

"Groundwork?" Neve asked with a raised brow.

"The Crows had me banished for a time, but I believe that I can return since my contract is complete. Long story, we can go over it with a bottle of wine if you prefer. Regardless, I need to contact the head of my House to let him know my status before I can just show up," the Crow answered before shrugging. "Plus, it would be good to know whether or not I am still banished."

"Fair point," Neve smiled before they caught up with Harding.

~C~

Fifth Talon:

My contract to stop Solas from completing his ritual has been completed.

As a result of that completion, there were unforeseen consequences that none of us could have predicted. Solas is trapped in a prison of his own making, but two beings were released from said prison.

I dare not write more as I am unsure what more I can say on paper.

I have been put in charge of a team to put these beings down. If I do not hear from you, I would like to make a visit and will do so in one week's time.

I understand that my banishment has not been lifted, but I believe that the circumstances have changed.

I will explain more in person.

Your Faithful Rook

Isabella de Riva

Viago read through the letter nearly seven times before he started to wonder if he was going senile if he was rereading so much of his mail. He rubbed his eye as he placed the parchment on the desk, wondering what he was going to do. Honestly, the rest of the Talons forgot about the Antaam incident months ago, so the banishment wasn't even formally witnessed. He doubted the First Talon even cared.

However, he felt relief for the first time since Isabella had left. He had thought that he was going to get confirmation of her death via body or some other horrid evidence. Instead, he received a letter of contract completion and that she was returning home. Even if the contract went a little sideways, the job was done. He would need to tell her that she was a full Crow when she came back. Although, the mention of her making a visit instead of saying that she was coming home concerned him.