Chapter 3
The hike up the mountain path proved to be fruitful. The four came upon the lost soldiers, waylaid by demons flowing from another rift.
“I think one of them is near death.” Emma's sharp eyes taking in the scene.
“Get the rift sealed first. Help can come after.” Solas reminded her.
She's sent a fire bolt into the despair demon hovering over the fallen man before Solas finished speaking. “Can't help them if they're dead.”
She ran ahead, sending a fist of force into the creature that put it into the snow. She was pulling out a Philter of Renewal before she'd rounded the wall, pulling the cork as she knelt by the fallen, helping him drink. The demon rose beside them, only to have a bolt embed in it's skull, courtesy of Varric.
“I'd take that pout off your face, Chuckles.” He said, reloading. “They'll think you're upset that they lived.”
Solas' face soured as the bard charged ahead. He enveloped his allies in a barrier as he and Cassandra caught up to the fighting.
"Lady Cassandra!" A scout shouted.
The short conversation was lost a shout from Emma clued them into the next round of demons. She kept her guard over the the soldier she'd helped, knowing while the philter kept him alive, he'd need proper healing. One of his comrades rushed over, taking the prisoner's place with thanks.
She lost no time in fade-stepping to Cassandra's side, blocking a swipe of claws with her staff. The fight was quick. With the last demon slayed, Solas watched her reach for the rift, her eyes flickered just before the magic extended from her hand. The swirling green sky connected to flesh, her eyes closed as she fought the pain. He wished there was more he could do to ease it.
Why? The voice asked Solas.
With a snap, the tear closed. She shook off the pain as he approached.
"Sealed, as before. You are becoming quite proficient at this."
"Let’s hope it works on the big one." Varric tossed her a metal flask before she could acknowledge Solas. “To cut the pain.” He gave her a wink as she drank the liquor.
Cassandra helped a soldier to her feet, armor shredded in places.
"Thank the Maker you finally arrived, Lady Cassandra. I don’t think we could have held out much longer."
"Thank our prisoner, Lieutenant. She insisted we come this way." Cassandra nodded to Emma as she was taking another swig.
"The prisoner? Then you…?" Her eyes were large, bordering reverent.
Emma smiled, polite as she knew to be. "Any life is worth saving, if we can.”
Soldier gave a bow, "Then you have my sincere gratitude.”
It made Emma's skin crawl.
Cassandra handed them her philters. "The was into the valley behind us is clear for the moment. Go, while you still can." The crew ran off, not sparing another glance at the seeker or her companions.
Solas inspected the way beyond. "The path ahead appears to be clear of demons as well." The prisoner wouldn't look at him. Had he done something?
He couldn't see it. Couldn't fathom the
Pain. The pain. The pain. That's all her mind could feel. She could feel it working up her arm, dancing it's way into her chest. Varric's moonshine did help her think, helped block the puling stabbing nightmare in her hand. Nothing else mattered but the pain. Why did it get so much worse with that closing?
"Let’s hurry,” Cassandra jogged towards a cliff. “before that changes.”
Varric stood next to Solas, waiting to begin his descent. "So… Holes in the fade don’t just accidentally happen, right?"
"If enough magic is brought to bear, it is possible." It was not what the dwarf wanted to hear.
"But there are easier ways to make things explode." His humor couldn't hide his fear.
"That is true."
Cassandra snapped at them, "We will consider how this happened once the immediate danger is past."
Both men quieted until she reached the bottom.
“You think they were after something else too?” Varric asked as he mounted the ladder.
“Indeed, I do.”
His head disappeared below the ledge as he said, “Good to know I'm not alone.”
* * *
The smell.
She knew that smell well.
She'd rescued people from that smell.
"The Temple of Sacred Ashes.” Solas' voice somber.
"What’s left of it." Varric's normal timbre barely a whisper.
“Is this…?” Emma was afraid to speak. To disturb the newly dead.
"Where you walked out of the Fade and our soldiers found you? Yes.” Cassandra walked past her amnesiac prisoner. “They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was."
They were surrounded by charred, and still burning corpses. So many half in the ground or stuck in walls. She couldn't help the tears that welled up. She saw visions of young children being pulled over walls, firing arrows at the fucking shems sacrificing the elves to appease their “gods” and “stop the gods-damned blight, fuckin' rabbit.”
She could hear the screams of pain, of agony, of hopelessness.
A gentle hand between her shoulders startled her from those memories. She looked to body that hand came from; to the mage that now drew her attention. He said nothing, but nodded for them to move forward. She hadn't realized she'd stopped moving. She didn't pull away, allowing him to guide her.
Varric whistled, "The Breach sure is a long way up."
“Nah, you're just extra short.” She sniped. Varric gave her an offended look and she blinked, then tossed his flask back, to which he burst out laughing. This drew looks from Leliana's archers as the Left Hand made her way to the Right.
A quick chat with Cassandra, and Leliana pointed places around the temple for her soldiers, the she was back at their side.
Cassandra pulled reflexively on her glove. "This is your chance to end this. Are you ready?"
"I’ll try.” Emma looked to the rip spinning above her. “I’m assuming you have a plan to get me up there."
"No.” Solas fought a smile to her What-the-fuck-am-I-supposed-to-do?-Jump? reaction. “This rift was the first, and it is the key. Seal it, and perhaps we seal the Breach."
Her harrumph was covered by the seeker's ushering, "Let’s find a way down. And be careful."
* * *
A deep, commanding voice boomed from the Breach. “Now is the hour of our victory. Bring forth the sacrifice.”
Fear shot through Emma.
Cassandra looked over. "What are we hearing?"
Emma shook her head as Solas responded, "At a guess: the person who created the Breach."
They passed a warm, glowing, red stone. Varric practically hissed at it. "You know this stuff if red lyrium, Seeker."
"I see it, Varric."
"But what’s it doing here?"
Solas tried to help. "Magic could have drawn on lyrium beneath the temple, corrupted it…"
“It feels wrong.” Emma said.
"It’s evil. Whatever you do, don’t touch it." You could see the memories creep across his skin.
“Keep the sacrifice still." The voice reverberated.
An elderly Orlesian voice cried out, "Someone help me!"
Cassandra stopped, staring mouth a gape towards the Breach. "That is Divine Justinia’s voice!"
The other three kept moving. Varric was the first to jump to the lower level, Solas close behind.
Emma turned back. “Seeker?” Cassandra was still dazed as she moved.
Emma prepared to jump, turning to see Solas waiting, hand raised to help her, catch her if needed. She gave a small smile and took the aid he offered, expecting him to do the same for Cassandra.
He did not.
Divine Justinia’s voice echoed again as the mark on Emma's hand crackled with pain. "Someone help me!"
Emma's voice, forceful and angry echoed around them, "What’s going on here?"
Cassandra is still awe struck. "That was your voice. Most Holy called out to you. But…"
A scene forms around them, memory of what happened a flowing fog. There stood a large, humanoid creature, it's appearance obscured by smoke, eyes red flames. Divine Justinia was held aloft across from her, her arms extended at her sides. Those watching the scene see Emma pass through a door, sword drawn, eyes taking in everything. "What’s going on here?"
Divine Justinia calls out to her, "Run while you can! Warn them!"
The large creature is annoyed, as if a gnat had flown by. He informs someone around him, "We have an intruder.” He turns to Emma, gestures with a wave, “Slay the elf!"
Emma's outline prepares to fight as the scene vanished with a flash.
Cassandra was in the prisoner's face. "You were there! Who attacked? And the Divine, is she…? Was this vision true? What are we seeing?"
"I don’t remember!" Emma exclaimed as Solas stepped his way between them, shielding the elven woman.
"Echoes of what happened here, Seeker. The fade bleeds into this place." He gestures for Cassandra to move forward, closer to the rift. She acquiesced, Emma and Solas following. "This rift is not sealed, but it is closed… albeit temporarily.” He glances to the prisoner's scarred hands. “I believe that with the mark, the rift can be opened, and then sealed properly and safely. However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side.”
Cassandra stopped glaring at Emma, reality hitting her. "That means demons. Stand ready!" She stepped away, shield and sword pulled from their holdings, shouting orders at the other soldiers.
Emma looked at the glowing, green scab in the sky. Stone like protrusions shooting in and out of it.
“Just do as you have before. The rift should react accordingly.” Solas' voice was calm, quiet. Only for her.
She was back to avoiding eye contact, “And if it doesn't?”
Weird. He thought. “We will cross that bridge if we come to it.”
“Typical male,” she scoffed. Before he could make his come back, magic shot from her arm into the center of the rift. A shout ripped from her as she tore the rift open, a Pride demon stepping out in front of them.
To hell with her weirdness. Solas yanked her behind him, knowing she needed a moment to combat the pain. The demon eyed him and laughed.
“Now!" Cassandra drew the demon's focus, archers firing from the ruined walls.
* * *
The demon was fucking huge. Emma cast a barrier as Solas pulled her away, his attention on the six eyed creature in front of them.
Arrows bounced off his hide. "We must strip its defenses!" Cassandra shouted.
“How?”
"Disrupt the rift!?" She guessed. A whip of lightening struck soldiers behind the demon as it turned with a heavy grace.
“Is she right?” She asked her mage captor.
He looked at her surprised. “I… It's worth a shot.” She threw an ice shield, sending electricity skittering around them.
“I'm on it.” She ran, keeping to the edges, trying to stay out of the focus of the Pride Demon. She snuck around the large, arched pillar in the middle, only to run into two wraith, shootin' the shit. She was about to strike when arrows pelted them, drawing their attention and wrath. She was now close enough to connect with the sparking rift above. The rift crackled with force, the power surge brought the demon to it's knees.
She sent ice and fire and barriers around her companions. The demon would be back up soon, and she wanted to help as much as she wanted to hide.
She was off her feet, held aloft by her hair.
A fucking despair demon snarled at her. She shook and clawed at it's arm to no avail. There was a beautiful snap, whiz; then three bolts landed in the demon's arm, dropping her to the ground. She blew a kiss to Varric and she dodged out of range.
The soldiers fought valiantly. Varric was keeping her back clear as a she battled her way back in range of the rift, hoping to destabilize it again.
A growl vibrated the makeshift arena, followed by a haunting silence. The Pride demon landed behind her. It picked her up and chucked her away, following to where she landed. She spit blood onto the ground, and squared up. It was deeply injured and had recognized it's greatest foe, the one with the sparkling hand.
She ran at the demon, sliding under it's legs as it went to grab her again. The magic connected to the rift and pulled her forward. She felt the roar more than heard it this time as something smashed into her, removing her concentration and connection. There was shouting as she stood. Her right arm wouldn't move, but she could still cast with her left.
A warm barrier surrounded her, a healing mist tied within. She didn't see him, but his magical essence was already familiar. The demon lashed out at her, but nothing touched. She grinned as it tried another time, not paying attention to the soldiers lining up with bows and arrows, at the dwarf loading a shiny expensive bolt into is crossbow.
The barrier began to fade as they fired as one. The demon fell to it's knees and Cassandra sent her sword into it's skull.
The moment Emma saw it slump, the moment Cassandra pulled back on her sword, Emma flung the mark at the rift. Power and pain rushed her. She felt her soul being called, the Fade singing for her to come home. She screamed and screamed as the veil stitched shut.
The light at the edge of her vision dimmed as her body fell to the ground. She heard an angry, frightened shout then running. The last thing she saw was a lean body sliding next to her, his staff chucked away as healing magic poured through her.