Isabella sat cross-legged on the floor of her cage as she leaned on her fist with her elbow on her knee. If she had ever been put in a worse position, she could remember it. At least she knew that she wasn't on her way to be killed or made an example of. The Wardens simply wanted to keep her out of trouble so they could handle the blight as they always had. The only problem was that this blight wasn't normal, and they wouldn't listen to her. The gods were still running rampant who knew where, and the blight was going to get worse because she wasn't there to fight it.

Although, she decided that when she did get out, she was going to find other wardens that might listen to her if the First Warden was going to be such a pain in the ass. Maybe Harding had other contacts she could reach out to who would be interested in at least listening before they threw her in a cage in a cave system.

At least the other two weren't in the same predicament that she was in. They could at least make a plan of what to do next, whether it be to rescue her or to reason with the First Warden. A part of her hoped that it would be the rescue, but she didn't want to get her hopes up to high. While she was the self-appointed leader of the outfit, that didn't mean that someone else could lead in her absence. Besides, Varric was on the mend, which meant that he would be back on his feet soon enough. Then he could get back to leading, and she could fall back into line.

It would be nice to be able to take orders instead of giving them. Isabella didn't mind the responsibility, but she always found it easier to follow than to lead. When the job was done, she could fully rest than instead of figuring out what they needed to do next.

Isabella leaned back against the bars, listening to the wardens around her. A few of them had walked away to check the perimeter, and she was at least those two were gone. One had a tendency to stare and get all shy when she noticed him. The others weren't so shy with their comments, but most were at least things she had heard before. Most were compliments on her tattoos, on the color of her eyes, or the cut of her hair. One very forward warden asked if she was an elven goddess herself. Others made her the butt of the joke as they called her insane and crazy for believing in blighted elven gods. It didn't help that all the wardens around her were humans, either.

The wardens also seemed to have dealt with Crows before as well. They took nearly everything of hers, telling her to strip her down to her smalls and then gave her clothing to change into. The few women among them kept guard of her as she changed and was put back in her cage. She still had a small knife on her, but she would keep that secret until absolutely necessary. It even had a small vial of poison in the handle, just as Viago taught her to keep.

Viago would never let her hear the end of it if he ever found out that she had been captured by Wardens in a tavern. The circumstances were special, as she still needed the cooperation of the Wardens against the blight and really didn't need enemies, but an embarrassment was still an embarrassment. Being captured and held in a cage would be the highest of humiliation if it ever reached the Crows. Which was only a matter of time before the First Warden sent the letter to Viago about her relocation.

So much for her redemption. To be redeemed only to face a wholly worse and more permanent humiliation. There was no excuse for this. She wasn't saving people from slavers. She had heard about someone looking for her, and she walked into their hands. At least she gave the name Rook. Maybe that could be her saving grace after all.

Then her cage moved, startling her as she grabbed the bars next to her to keep her balance. Isabella looked around to see a familiar face behind her. Lucanis brought a finger to his lips before he walked around her cage. She could see a faint purple flicker in his eyes as he walked away with Neve close behind him. So, they had opted to save her instead of pleading with the First Warden. It was probably the smartest move in the grand scheme of things.

Neve froze the lock on the cage, breaking it quietly before the door swung open. Lucanis, using her poisoned darts, quietly knocked out each of the wardens. Isabella stepped out of her cage carefully, scanning the area for her clothes. She could see that Lucanis had her gear and weapons, but he hadn't found her leathers.

"They made you change?" Neve asked once Lucanis took out the last guard.

"I think they've dealt with Crows before. We have lots of hidden pockets for knives and poisons. It's better to disrobe us entirely and give us plain clothes," Isabella shrugged before pulling out the small knife strapped to the back of her breast band. "Although, they didn't pat be down afterwards."

"I don't think they deal with Crows very often," Neve chuckled.

"What happened in there?" Lucanis demanded once the coast was clear. Isabella turned to him, surprised at his tone, before she frowned.

"I found the First Warden, and he was looking for me so he could arrest me. He blames me for releasing the blight during the ritual. Apparently, he pieced together a story from Harding's letters and witness accounts to place the blame on me. He was going to ship me off to Weisshaupt to let me rot in a prison until the blight was gone, then I could be released," Isabella explained as she glanced around the room. Lucanis could tell that she couldn't make eye contact with him.

"But you didn't release the blight," he reminded firmly. She shrugged as Neve raised an eyebrow.

"If anyone did, Solas did by doing that damned ritual," Neve reminded as Isabella nodded.

"I know, I know," the Crow sighed, shaking her head. "The First Warden kind of got into my head about it. He's also sending a letter to Viago about my arrest."

"The First Warden is going to feel silly when Viago reads it with you as free as a bird," Lucanis chuckled, trying to lighten her mood. She gave a half-hearted smile before nodding.

"Of course," she answered. "Any chance you found my leather armor?"

"Spite's on it," Lucanis reassured as Neve started to look around. He stepped closer to Isabella, who finally looked up at him. Something in his eyes showed that he was concerned about something. "Did the wardens hurt you?"

"No, no one even touched me. Just sat alone in the cage while you probably waded through cave water," she reassured with a chuckle. Lucanis didn't seem convinced.

"You don't sound alright," he argued as she rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine."

"Spite can tell when you're lying."

"Spite," she complained, earning a laugh from him.

"He wants to know what's wrong. He was the only way we were able to find you as fast as we were," Lucanis mentioned. Isabella grimaced before nodding.

"Fine. Crows aren't supposed to get caught. Especially de Riva Crows. Viago is going to skin me alive if he finds out that I was arrested by Grey Wardens. I'm supposed to be smarter than this," she answered, putting her head in her hands.

"And why didn't you immediately kill everyone who captured you?"

"Because we need the Grey Wardens to fight the blight."

"Don't you think Viago is going to understand that you weren't able to fight back because of that? I think he understands circumstances," Lucanis argued as she frowned and then sighed. He was right. "Besides, sometimes Crows do get caught. I got caught."

"You were set up. That's different," Isabella argued. "I made a bad judgement call. You couldn't have known that you were going to be intercepted."

"Still, Viago isn't going to skin you alive. He might yell at you, but you said that's a normal thing you two do."

"Doesn't mean I enjoy it, especially when he's right. It's only fun when he's overreacting. This time he won't be."

"Alright, let's get your mind off of the Crows," Lucanis suggested as Neve found her leathers. "What's the next plan of action? We have the support of the Shadow Dragons, and we've tried the Grey Wardens."

"I want to see if Harding has any other Warden friends that could help. We still need a blight expert more than anything right now. Even if the Wardens as a whole don't believe us, if we can get a few on our side, then we can at least see how the blight has changed and what to expect," Isabella replied. "From there, I'm not sure. I want to keep building the team out. It'll take more than the five of us to take down the gods."

"True. I think having a warden on the team wouldn't be a terrible idea, as long as they aren't duty bound. Some of them are worse than the military," Lucanis remarked. Isabella chuckled, earning a smile from him. "You get redressed, and I'll see if Spite can find a more discreet exit before the wardens start to wake up."

Isabella walked with Neve to a more secure alcove to change as Lucanis walked over to where he and the mage came in. The catacombs were expansive, and there was a good chance there were several exit points they could use. The First Warden was going to be beyond furious to see that his wardens were drugged and that his prisoner was gone. The faster they could get through the eluvian, the better.

~C~

Lucanis followed Spite as the demon sniffed for fresh air as Neve and Rook followed behind. He wasn't sure how long the poison was going to keep the wardens down, and he didn't want to find out. They needed to make it back to the hideout as soon as possible and regroup with the team. The First Warden wouldn't take kindly to being cheated like this. Especially since Rook was the one who he blamed for making his life harder with the blight.

They weaved in and out of the tunnels as the demon searched for the way out. Spite knew not to take them back to the Cobbled Swan in case there were lingering wardens or guards working with them. The closer they could get to the Shadow Dragons the better. He wasn't sure if they would offer the protection Rook needed, but if he could at least get her to the eluvian, then she would be within reach of Treviso. Viago would protect her with his life at the very least.

He glanced back to see that Rook was still behind, glancing around her shoulders and the walls, checking for ambushers and surprises. Wardens generally came at their enemies head on, rarely setting up ambushes, especially against people. However, he could tell that her nerves were on fire from being in the cage. They needed to get back to the surface at least so she could see the sky. Something about her demeanor and what he had seen earlier worried him.

When she had the prisoner clothes on, he could see peculiar scars on her forearms. On her left arm, there was a scar that encompassed her arm a few inches from her wrist. On the other was a long scar reaching from the base of her thumb up past the sleeve. The scars still looked pink and angry, as if they were still trying to heal. He had wanted to mention them, but they still had the wardens to worry about.

Soon, Spite found a path leading to the surface, and it led not too far from the hideout. He preened in front of Lucanis proudly as the Crow raised an eyebrow at the demon. He wasn't exactly sure what Spite was expecting before Rook ran past him towards the exit and too a deep breath of the fresh air.

"Oh, Spite, you found it," she breathed with relief. Lucanis glanced over at the demon standing next to Rook, who crowded around her. "Let's get back home."

"Tell Rook. I will keep. Her safe," Spite told Lucanis expectantly before staring back at Rook. Lucanis gave a quizzical look as the demon kept glancing between him and Rook. "Tell her."

"Rook, Spite wants you to know that he will keep you safe," Lucanis exhaled, repeating the sentiment slowly, almost uncertainly. Spite frowned, confused on the delivery of the line. Rook turned to look at Lucanis with a smile.

"Really?" she chuckled before she nodded. Neve didn't look too sure of the idea either. "I'll hold you to that sentiment, Spite. Don't you forget it."

"He is a demon, Rook," Lucanis reminded as she walked out of the catacombs.

"He was forced to become a demon, but he was a spirit before. Maybe he's something in between," Rook offered. Lucanis saw Spite stop at her words, equally surprised as he was. "We've never seen a non-mage possessed by a demon, right? Well, maybe that's because he's not fully a demon or a spirit."

"I don't think that's a thing, Rook," Neve mentioned.

"Just offering some thoughts. Spite continues to grow and surprise us. That behavior doesn't sound much like a demon to me. But he also doesn't act like a spirit either. And Zara did some truly heinous things from what I understand. Maybe it forced Spite to change just like it forced you to survive, Lucanis," Rook suggested. "I'm not sure where that leaves him, but maybe that's up to him to decide."

"Since when did you become a philosophizer?" Neve teased, surprised to see this side of Rook. The Crow shrugged with a smirk.

"Spite is so different from what I expected him to be, and he fascinates me. I'll stop thinking out loud if you find it distasteful," Rook replied, walking forward. Lucanis saw Spite turn to him, a puzzled expression on the demon's face.

"Rook finds. Me… Fascinating?" he repeated as he thought on that idea.

"You're going to give him an ego if you keep talking about him like that," Lucanis mentioned as Rook laughed.

"I just had too much time to think in that cage without much else to do," she answered as Neve smiled.

"You were only in there for a handful of hours," the mage reminded as Rook grasped at her chest.

"And what a terrible few hours those were! Sitting by myself, with nothing but some brutes and my thoughts to keep me company," she replied dramatically. "Honestly, I would've preferred them to leave me by my lonesome. A few thought that they could charm me with their words about how pretty my eyes were or how intricate my facial tattoos were."

"No! They can't. Take our Rook!" Spite shouted as Lucanis winced.

"Luckily, they won't talk to you anymore," Lucanis answered to both Rook and Spite.

"And thank the Maker for that. It's like none of them have ever seen vallaslin before," Rook griped, shaking her head.

"They might have felt guilty about having to detain you, so they were trying to distract you," Neve countered as Rook rolled her eyes.

"Maybe, but I don't give a damn. They still imprisoned me. If they really felt guilty, they should've let me go," she replied before shaking her head.

"Did any of them give you a hard time about your scars?" Lucanis wondered as Rook froze. She glanced down at her arms before turning to him. "The clothes they gave you showed some scars on your forearms."

"Ah," she answered before she walked onto the street. "It's nothing. They're from an old job, nothing to worry about."

"An old job? How old? Those looked like they were still healing," Lucanis mentioned as Rook waved her hand around.

"A couple years ago, and they just healed like that. Again. Nothing to worry about," she reiterated with a forced smile thrown over her shoulder. Lucanis grimaced as he folded his arms. "It's. Fine."

"Ah, there's the hideout," Neve mentioned, pointing down the street. Rook turned away from Lucanis, looking to where Neve was gesturing. "Let's get inside before the wardens get wise."

"Good plan," Rook whispered as she walked towards the shop and through the doors. Neve held back, keep Lucanis back as he watched Spite follow after Rook.

"You need to take it easy on her," Neve warned as Lucanis frowned. "She's not going to tell you anything if you press her."

"You saw the scars. Those aren't normal scars," he argued as she nodded.

"I agree, those aren't normal scars, but you aren't going to get anywhere demanding to know what happened."

"What if it was the wardens?"

"Do you really believe that?" Neve wondered before she shook her head. "No, those scars are old, even if they don't truly look it. Give her time, and she'll tell you."

"How do you know?" he sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

"Because I've worked with people like her before. Not quick to trust, but she will be loyal for life if you can keep that trust. And it will be difficult to fully earn that trust. She will pretend to trust you, so you need to look for the subtle signs," Neve informed as Lucanis rolled his eyes.

"You're talking about her like she's a cat," he surmised as she smiled.

"If the shoe fits," the mage shrugged. "Did she tell you where she came from? How she became a Crow? Because how she became a de Riva is similar to how you adopt a stray cat off the streets."

"Rook isn't a cat. She's a person," Lucanis reminded as Neve sighed.

"Never mind, look, just think about it. And stop pushing her for answers. Show that you trust her, and she'll come to you with the answers you want," Neve informed before she walked into the shop after Rook.

Lucanis stood in the Minrathous street, staring at the doorway where his comrades went, surprised that Neve seemed to know Rook better than he did. He had always assumed that he had a leg up on understanding her since they were both Crows. However, maybe that was too reductive. She had explained that she was adopted off the streets to become a Crow, which was different from how he or Viago were introduced to the Crows. He had been born into the Crows. Viago had been given the choice of joining the Crows or leaving Antiva.

Rook had been found and adopted, immediately trained to become a Fledgling.

There was a chance she remembered her life before she joined the Crows. Rook had mentioned that she had a past history with qamek, making the last contract personal for her. She had also mentioned that the qamek exposure hadn't been a part of her training, but something she had experienced before joining House de Riva. Before she had been found to be trained against such attacks that could leave scars.