The Inquisitor's party could hear the voices ahead of them even before they entered the fortress' main courtyard.
"Wardens, we are betrayed by the very world we have sworn to protect," a voice called out in a thick Orlesian accent.
"The Inquisition is inside, Clarel. We have no time to stand on ceremony!"
"These men and women are giving their lives, magister. That might mean little in Tevinter, but for the Wardens, it is a sacred duty… It has been many long years, my friend."
"Too many, Clarel," said an older voice. "If my sword arm can no longer serve the Wardens, then my blood will have to do."
"It will."
The Inquisitor broke into a run on hearing those last words, and her companions followed suit, but they arrived a moment too late.
The courtyard was a worrying sight. Several mage Wardens stood in a wide circle, hands outstretched, as the beginnings of a Fade rift floated in the middle, an ominous green mist. Many other Wardens also stood around the courtyard, staring up at a platform where Clarel, a Warden with grey stubbled hair and proud posture stood, Erimond standing by her side. A motionless body lay slumped on a table in front of her.
"Stop them!" Erimond barked, first to notice the new arrivals. "We must complete the ritual!"
Several Wardens drew their swords towards the intruders, and Ellethir held up a hand, halting her companions.
"If you complete that ritual, you're doing exactly what Erimond wants," she shouted up to Clarel.
Erimond scoffed. "What, fighting the Blight? Keeping the world safe from darkspawn? Who wouldn't want that? And yes, the ritual requires blood sacrifice. Hate me for that if you must, but do not hate the Wardens for doing their duty!"
Clarel nodded, expression grave. "We make the sacrifices no one else will. Our warriors die proudly for a world that will never thank them."
"And then your Tevinter ally binds the mages to Corypheus!" Stroud yelled.
Clarel's eyes widened. "Corypheus? But… he's dead?"
Erimond put his hand on Clarel's shoulder. "These people will say anything to shake your confidence, Clarel!"
Clarel rubbed her forehead, thinking. For a second, it seemed like she might have believed Ellethir. But her expression hardened. "Bring it through."
The circle of mage Wardens began to channel magic into the rift, streaks of green meeting in the middle where the mist hovered. The mist started to sizzle, separating into two distinct sections, and between those sections, the many eyes of what had to be an enormous demon could be seen peeking through it.
Hawke took a few steps forward, and the other Wardens stepped closer, threatening.
"Please, I have seen more than my share of blood magic! It is never worth the cost!" she pleaded.
"I trained half of these Wardens myself!" Stroud added. "Please, do not force me to kill you to stop this madness!"
If Clarel heard these pleas, she gave no indication.
"Be ready with the ritual, Clarel. This demon is truly worthy of your strength," Erimond promised.
Changing tack, Blackwall attempted to appeal to the Wardens around him. "You don't know me, but you may have heard my name. Like you, I've given my life to the Grey Wardens. The first time I put on this armour, I felt like I belonged, like I was part of something honourable, something with a purpose. I know how good that feels. How safe. But fighting and dying here today won't stop the Blight. If you want to stop the Blight, kill that bastard up there. His master is the living embodiment of its corruption!"
"You gave your life to the Wardens, but you stand with the Inquisitor!" one of the Wardens yelled. "Whose side are you on, Blackwall?"
Ellethir shook her head frantically. "No, listen to me! I have no quarrel with the Wardens! I have spared those I could! I don't want to kill you, but you're being used…and some of you know it, don't you?" she made eye contact with Chernoff in the crowd.
Chernoff looked to his comrades. "The mages who've done the ritual? They're not right. They were my friends, but now they're like puppets on a string."
"You cannot let fear sway your mind, Warden Chernoff!" Clarel chided.
"He's not afraid," Hawke snapped. "You are. You're afraid that you ordered all these brave men and women to die for nothing."
"I honour your bravery, my brothers and sisters," Stroud added sadly. "But this is not the way. You have been tricked. Corypheus lives, and this man does his bidding."
Fae twisted the staff in her hands nervously. "The Grey Wardens have stopped the Blight five times over," she called out, looking directly at Clarel. "This world owes you a debt it can never repay, and it still needs you. We would not stand against you if we didn't know you were being misused."
The Wardens also looked to Clarel, who in turn glanced nervously at Erimond.
"Clarel, we have come so far," he hissed. "You're the only one who can do this!"
Clarel faltered. "Perhaps we could test the truth of these charges, to avoid more bloodshed."
Erimond's expression changed. "Or perhaps I should bring in a more reliable ally," he sneered, turning towards the courtyard. "My master thought you might come here, Inquisitor! He sent me this to welcome you! He clacked his staff on the ground, sending red sparks flying. A deafening screech echoed through the air, as the same corrupted dragon, last seen during the attack on Haven, soared over them. Its enormous wings clipped a turret, shattering it, and the dragon swerved around, landing on the battlement and roaring once more.
Clarel began to back away in horror at the sight of the creature, and then a bolt of lightning from her staff shot out at Erimond, who cried out, knees buckling. He turned back towards her, struggling to right himself.
"Clarel, wait…" he said shakily, as lightning began to sizzle angrily in her free hand. Instead of firing at him, like he expected, she flung it at the dragon, who screeched in outrage, taking off towards them. Both Erimond and Clarel were forced to leap out of the way as bright red light spewed from its mouth. It soared away once more, and Erimond took this chance to flee.
"Help the Inquisitor!" Clarel bellowed, taking off after Erimond.
Momentarily confused as to what Clarel meant, Fae looked back towards Ellethir, who was staring up at the pride demon now fully emerged from the new rift. "Shit!"
The demon attacked, swinging blackened talons at anyone it could reach. Both Inquisition and Warden soldiers threw everything they had at the creature, and it repaid in kind. Some of the mage Wardens were immediately caught in the crossfire, while the others who'd been shoved out of the way at the beginning watched on numbly. After the first few minutes of fighting, a shadow passed over them, and Fae noted that the dragon had returned, circling slowly above them. It spat a ball of that mysterious red lightning energy, and while miraculously it reached no target, the ground where the ball made contact sizzled and rippled like disturbed water.
It was the dragon who indirectly gave the final blow, as the demon inadvertently stepped backward into one of these hissing puddles of energy. The demon screeched, losing its balance and toppling over, allowing more of the energy to crawl over its skin, melting where it touched. When the creature finally lay motionless, all eyes turned to the dragon, still making laps in the sky above them.
"Quickly, the Warden-Commander went that way!" Ellethir ran up the nearby stairway, leading the group up to the battlements once more. They rushed down the walkway, giving chase when they turned a corner just in time to see Clarel running ahead of them. Beside them, the looming shadow of the dragon approached, getting close enough within a matter of seconds to latch onto the railings.
"Get back, take cover!" Blackwall shouted, and the group hurried back in the opposite direction as the dragon let loose another barrage of burning red energy. The wrought-iron railing disintegrated entirely, and the dragon launched itself away, readying itself to circle back around for a second attack.
"Go!"
At the end of the walkway was another set of winding stairs, a glimpse of dark blue fabric around the corner indicating that they were still not far behind Clarel. When they finally caught up to the Warden-Commander, Ellethir slowed down, indicating for the others to do the same. Just ahead of them, at the precipice of a half-destroyed bridge, Clarel had managed to corner Erimond. The Tevinter mage was gradually backing up, his attacks bouncing harmlessly off some kind of ward as Clarel marched towards him, livid.
"You! You've destroyed the Grey Wardens!" she snarled, a strange metal forming at the end of her staff. She jabbed it in Erimond's direction, and the man was knocked to the ground, perilously close to the cliff's edge.
Erimond laughed weakly as Clarel circled him. "You did that to yourself, you stupid bitch," he wheezed. "All I did was dangle a little power before your eyes. And you couldn't wait to get your hands bloody!"
Clarel scowled, lightning forming from her staff this time, and attacked him again. The force of the blast sent Erimond skidding a few feet away, and he curled up on the ground, grunting in pain as his own armour let off waves of steam.
"You could have served a new god," he groaned.
Clarel grimaced, enraged. "I will never serve the Blight!"
With Erimond on the ground, Ellethir began to approach. A single flap of giant wings was all the warning anyone had before the dragon suddenly landed in front of them. Its jaws snapped around Clarel, and then it took off again, soaring around to land on the battlements. It tossed her around, then flung her back onto the bridge behind them. Clarel's body fell limply onto the hard stone, but somehow, she managed to pull herself partway off the ground, gingerly crawling away. The dragon began climbing its way down from the battlements, stalking the group as its new prey as they all backed away towards the edge of the broken bridge.
"In war, victory…" Clarel called out, spitting blood from her mouth. She rolled over onto her back as the dragon's huge form stepped over her, only interested now in its new targets.
"In peace, vigilance…" The dragon reared back, ready to pounce, and a massive ball of lightning from Clarel's outstretched hand struck its sternum and flared out, searing its way through the stone. That was the last they saw of Clarel, as the dragon went sprawling towards the group with a furious screech. It slammed into one side of the bridge's barrier and lost its balance, grasping onto the edge before slipping off, wings beating frantically.
Deafening cracks sounded as the bridge began to crumble from underneath them. Fae stumbled back, grabbing onto the bridge's barrier to haul herself up, almost losing her footing again when the barrier itself broke away. She ran, trying in vain to catch up with the others. Blackwall, Cassandra, Solas. The Iron Bull. Hawke. Ellethir was not among those in front of her. Fae turned back to see the Inquisitor pulling Stroud back up from the edge where he'd almost fallen. She ran for them, watching in horror as both slammed into the ground when the stone fell apart beneath them. Stroud disappeared entirely from view behind falling rock, and Fae leapt towards Ellethir as her own ground gave way, flinging out her protective ward. "ELLETHIR!"
The Inquisitor reached for her, but then they were falling. Fae squeezed her eyes shut, and fear spiked in her chest when her arcane shield hit something so hard it dissipated immediately on contact. She opened her eyes on instinct, and below her, all she could see as she fell was a flash of green light.
A/N: Thank you for reading up to this point! Stay tuned x