I am Lena Wolf, Lena's life as it happens Options

[Lena Wolf]

Evening Star, 3E410 - Hello, cousin

The following night Anders and Lucanis set off to Lucanis' family villa again, but now they knew what to expect. The villa was overrun with Venatori, the unfriendly blood mages from Tevinter. It was not clear what they were doing there, and whether they had anything to do with the disappearance of Lucanis' grandmother; it was also unclear what role Lucanis' cousin Illario played in all of this, if any. Those were the questions that they wanted answered.

They entered the same way as the previous night - through the sewers. The passage was still unguarded, which could mean that either the Venatori had no idea about it, or that they didn't care, or may be even that they wanted Anders and Lucanis to enter the villa so that they could be caught in a trap. At any rate, caution was advised.

Like the previous night, the ground floor foyer was empty, with voices coming from the upper floor. This time Anders and Lucanis decided to go through the entire villa, room by room, looking for any clues to answer their many questions. For the most part, the rooms were empty and untouched - the Venatori were definitely not ransacking the house. They were there with a purpose...

Finally Venatori guards started appearing, which meant that they were going in the right direction. After a few simple fights, they ran into a group led by a blood mage, and although Anders and Lucanis still won, the fight was of a different caliber. A search of the room revealed some scraps of paper with what looked like orders for the Venatori to take positions at the villa. Someone was making preparations.

"This doesn't look like a trap for you and me," Lucanis tried to piece together the message on the scraps. "They were going to occupy the villa and guard something or someone further in. May be Caterina? But it is not clear why."

"We should keep going," Anders nodded. "Kill a few more Venatori, may be more senior members of their group have more detailed orders. Prepare for blood magic. They are going to try to manipulate us."

"I killed a few blood mages in my day," Lucanis smirked. "That's why they call me the Demon of Vyrantium. Of course, that was before I got an actual demon."

"Spite can be manipulated too, and through him - you," Anders pointed out. "Remember what Avernus told us. These Venatori orders may well be from Zara, and who knows what sort of enchanted artefacts may be about..."

"Well, what do you want me to do?!" Lucanis snapped impatiently. "If they have magic of that kind, we'll see it. Come on."

They continued going through the villa, they fought some guards and a few more blood mages, but nothing out of the ordinary. They also did not find any further orders or papers of any importance. It was becoming very frustrating.

"Caterina is here somewhere, in this house," Lucanis stood in front of an open cupboard in one of the larger bedrooms. "This is her room, and the clothes in this cupboard have been disturbed. Like someone picked a few to give to her. She never left such a mess in here!"

Anders was going to say that it was probably the neatest room he'd ever seen, but apparently by Caterina's standards it was a mess.

"Someone is keeping her in reasonable comfort if they brought her fresh clothes," he pointed out. "But why? Nobody made ransom demands..."

"We shall know it when we find her," Lucanis said forcefully, closing the cupboard behind him. "The garden wing. No one's been using it for ages. It is out of the way, too. She must be there."

The way to the garden wing was not guarded, and Anders thought that surely it was the wrong direction... but then Lucanis pushed what looked like a solid wall and it swung inwards revealing a darkened room with a single candle burning further in.

"Caterina!" Lucanis said softly but distinctly. "Luca. With a friend." He walked in, watching for an ambush, then jumped, getting hold of something... Anders smirked - the old lady would act first and ask questions later. "Caterina! Grandmother... Look, I am who I say I am. We came looking for you."

Anders was still standing in the corridor, watching a shadow of Lucanis jump back and forth in a dark room. But then he heard noises further in the house, so he too entered and closed the door.

"Caterina!" He called. "I am Anders. Perhaps you've heard of me... or perhaps not. Is Illario with you?"

"Illario!" A lady's voice trembled with anger. "That rascal!"

"Caterina, please put down the stick," Lucanis exclaimed, while still trying to keep his voice down. "I am Luca! Please, grandmother!"

"Luca..." she sighed. "Are you really? I was told Lucanis was dead!"

"Almost, but not completely," Anders grinned, remembering how Lucanis indeed almost died in the battle with the dragon in Treviso... but Spite kept him from dying completely.

"Almost, eh?" Caterina seemed to have stopped struggling because Lucanis stopped jumping. She stepped to the table with a single candle and turned up an oil lamp. "So, let me look at you, one who claims to be my Luca..."

The lamp illuminated a sparsely furnished room with a cot, a table and a chair in a large empty space. A tray with some remnants of food stood on the floor. Caterina turned to Lucanis, still holding her walking stick with a large crow head at the ready.

"But it is I..." Lucanis started saying again, but after a few moments she beamed at him and squeezed him in an embrace.

"My grandson..!"

She held him close, knocking the breath out of him, and Anders thought that perhaps it was her own breath that she wanted to hold... A tear ran down her cheek but she soon regained her composure and let go of Lucanis.

"And so it is you!" She smiled brightly. "Ooh, Illario has a lot to answer for!" She suddenly exclaimed in anger again. "He told me you were dead! That our family was reduced to him and me! That rivals were after us and so he had to lock me up here for my own protection! Really!" Her cheeks blushed with even more anger, and Anders figured she was definitely not a lady to cross.

"But why did you let him, Caterina?" Lucanis was still holding her by the shoulders. "Illario cannot just lock you up in your own house!"

"I did not agree to this!" She shook her head vehemently. "I was drugged! I woke up here! Illario has been bringing me food and fresh clothes... saying that it would not be long, that he was on the trail of a traitor... But I think I know who the traitor is!"

"Why did Illario say I was dead?" Lucanis tried to lead his grandmother to the single chair in the room. Eventually she let him and sat down.

"He lied, of course!" She exclaimed forcefully, but also kept her voice down. "He wants to be the head of the Crows! He wants me to step down! But I shall not step down for him!"

"He wants you to step down..?" Lucanis looked surprised, then shook his head, looking as angry as his grandmother. Family resemblance was unmistakable. "Since when?!"

"Since you disappeared a year ago..." she said softly. "Saying that a rival family is trying to take over the Crows... trying to eliminate us all... which isn't that hard, since it is only I and my two grandsons..."

"He will answer for this!" Lucanis said with a scowl. "We have to get you out of here."

"Well, actually..." Anders, who'd been quiet all this time, decided to interrupt. "Actually, it may be better for Caterina to stay here a little longer."

"What?! Why?" Lucanis cried in surprise.

"We still don't know why this villa is overrun with the Venatori," Anders reminded him. "Are they here to guard Caterina? Or to lay a trap for you and me? Did Illario invite them? Or was that Zara? And if so, is she planning to visit here herself..?" Anders cut himself off as Caterina turned her gaze on him, seeing right through him, he thought.

"Your friend thinks Illario might have been involved in your disappearance," she said calmly. "He is right."

"But we are like brothers!" Lucanis exclaimed and threw his arms in the air. "He would not do such a thing to me!"

"He would, Luca," Caterina said softly but firmly. "And he must have done. Nobody knew about that contract when you vanished... nobody, except Illario."

"But then... he works for Zara," Lucanis said darkly.

"Or has an arrangement with her... A mutually beneficial agreement," Anders shook his head. "She gets you for her experiments, and he gets his grandmother's undivided attention..."

"Your escape forced his hand," Caterina nodded. "I shall not ask now where you've been and how you made it out - that is for later. Now you have to cut the knot between Illario and... Zara, was it?" She looked from Lucanis to Anders and back. "And since the villa is occupied by strangers... I shall stay here for now. Come back when Illario is no longer a threat."

Anders and Lucanis left and decided to clear the villa of Venatori. For one, it was a good cause, and for two, they still hoped that someone among them would have more revealing papers.

They took it slow and steady, clearing area after area and not running ahead until their wounds from each encounter were healed or bandaged. Lucanis was getting impatient at first, objecting that Anders was slowing them down with his propensity to treat every scratch, but after some time he realised that he was not used to long and drawn out campaigns as he always had a single target to kill with each contract, not clear a large villa. Anders, on the other hand, was used to exactly that kind of clearing and knew just how quickly those minor flesh wounds and scratches could accumulate to the point of becoming overwhelming. It was then already morning when they finally stepped outside, but they weren't done yet.

"The gardens," Lucanis smiled. "Always in bloom... flowers change with seasons, but there is always colour..." He stretched, enjoying the sunshine. "Across the gardens is the theatre. We never really were into staging plays, but every villa must have one," he chuckled. "We just used it for parties."

"Is this the last building?" Anders was more concerned with getting it over with.

"No, there's still the pool... right next to the theatre. Don't ask me why!" He shrugged and laughed. "Illario and I always found it hilarious... we'd chase each other between the rows of chairs in the theatre, then plunge into the pool..."

"Where first?" Anders noticed a low building of a pool slightly behind a grand building of a theatre. The pool was barely noticeable, and may be that was the point.

"The theatre," Lucanis started walking. "Let's leave getting wet till last."

The theatre was empty, apart from a few guards. However, the chairs were arranged ready for a performance or a gathering.

"What's going on here?" Lucanis walked around. "It's set out for a celebration, a reception perhaps..."

"Illario getting ready to celebrate him becoming the head of the Crows, perhaps?" Anders squinted. "But there's nothing here. Let's try the pool."

The pool was filled with blood. They froze as soon as they stepped through the door - the unmistakable sweet and slightly nauseating odour hung in the air, they knew the room had a lot of blood before they saw it. It was blood alchemically preserved so it would not congeal. Blood collected for some special ritual.

"Just how many people had to be bled to fill the whole pool?" Lucanis was looking at it in disgust.

"One or two, no more," Anders squatted at the edge, dipping his fingers into the blood, then liking them to get the taste. "This isn't pure blood," he got up. "This is mostly water with enough blood dissolved in it to give it the colour. This has no magical properties - it is too diluted. It cannot be used in a ritual..."

"It can, just not in the usual way," someone said from the other side of the pool. "It does have a rather startling effect, wouldn't you say?" A richly dressed mage stepped out from behind a column, his pronounced Tevinter accent and the style of his robes making him into a Magister.

"So what - you startle your victims to death?!" Lucanis exclaimed with derision. "What are you doing on my family estate?!"

"Ahhh, the Demon of Vyrantium is here, in person!" The mage cried out with joy. "A little early, the party isn't scheduled to start for a few more days... but we can provide lodgings until then."

He shot a lightning bolt across the room and the blood in the pool reflected it like firework.

"I do not want to kill you!" He shouted. "Not yet! Not today! Zara wants you back!"

"But I do want to kill you! Here and now!" Lucanis retorted, starting to run around the pool towards the mage, with Anders following. The mage readied a spell, waiting for Lucanis to turn the corner. Timing was everything.

"No, cousin, not now!" Suddenly Illario entered through a side door and stepped between Lucanis and the mage. He had a peculiar red broche. He touched it, and Lucanis collapsed, unconscious. "He is not dead," Illario said to Anders. "Take him away when he recovers. Never come back." He made a sign to the mage and they both left the pool house.

Anders knelt over Lucanis - he was indeed not dead. His breathing was shallow but otherwise he seemed unharmed. What just happened? Anders wondered. What sort of an enchanted broche was that? It had a tell-tale red glow... was that red lyrium?

Lucanis stirred, interrupting his musings.

"What happened?" He sat up with difficulty. "I saw Illario come in..."

"How do you feel?" Anders was checking his pulse. "Some kind of magic made you collapse. The question is why."

"I feel... alone," Lucanis looked up. "Spite is silent."

"This is not good!" Anders shook his head, worried.

"Why not? May be I am finally rid of him?" Lucanis grinned.

"No, not like this... something else happened..." Anders got up. "Can you walk? We should go."

"I can walk... go where? What about Caterina? Illario? What is going on?!" Lucanis was getting agitated. He got to his feet, but stumbled, and had to hold on to Anders so as not to fall. "I feel... dizzy," he shook his head. "Nothing serious, I'm sure."

"Oh, I think this is serious," Anders said gravely, getting hold of Lucanis securely. "Put your arm around my shoulders and let's go. Everything else can wait. If this is what I think it is, your days are numbered."

"My days were numbered the moment I was born to the Crows," Lucanis smirked, accepting Anders' support. "But alright. Where are we going?"

"Minrathous," Anders replied, leading him out of the villa. "Time to test that portal than Neve told us about. It better be working."

[Lena Wolf]

Evening Star, 3E410 - Spite

"Spite took a hit," Anders declared by way of explanation when he and Lucanis entered the Pavus Manor in Minrathous, with Lucanis barely able to walk. "Emmrich, can you discern how bad it is?"

"The spirit possessing Lucanis had been injured? Directly?" Emmrich looked up. "In Mundus? Remarkable!"

"And very bad for Lucanis and the spirit both," Anders nodded. "They had an enchanted red lyrium artefact... I cannot sense Spite at all."

"Yes, yes, of course, that would be most detrimental..." Emmrich scrambled to get his staff. "We need room for this... Come and sit here," he put a chair in the middle of the salon gesturing Lucanis towards it. "It may hurt a little..."

"Hurt?" Lucanis looked around, but everyone else was nonplussed and Emmrich was already absorbed in his ritual. "Just what is he going to do to me?!" He stared at Anders.

"Not to worry, just a simple spirit probe, from what I can tell..." Anders tried to reassure him watching Emmrich's incantation. "But yeah, it can be slightly..."

"Ouch!" Lucanis jumped up, that was hurting clearly more than a little.

"No, no, stay seated..." Anders pushed him back into the chair, gently but firmly grabbing his shoulder. "It's worse for Spite, trust me..."

"If you had told me upfront..!" Lucanis' face was contorted with pain.

"That's why I didn't," Anders tried to speak soothingly, but held Lucanis firmly in his chair. "We have to know where we stand, and this is the best approach."

"So there are other ways to get to the bottom of it without putting me through this torture?!" Lucanis would be getting angry if he wasn't hurting so much.

"Yes, but none as effective or as accurate. It shouldn't take much longer," Anders smiled, watching Emmrich's movements.

"For an assassin, you are not very good with pain, Lucanis," Harding pointed out. "I expected you to have a higher tolerance to it."

"For an assassin!" Lucanis laughed. "I am the one hurting people, remember? Not the other way around! And I don't torture them first! It's all over quickly for them! Not like this!!"

"Alright, it's finished," Emmrich put away his staff. "The pain should subside eventually..."

"Eventually! Sadists is what you mages are!!" Lucanis was properly angry now. "That's why I hate working with mages!"

"It's bad," Emmrich gave Anders a look of significance. "We should confer..."

"Hey!!! Merda!! I'm still here!!!" Lucanis jumped up, now that Anders was no longer holding him down.

"I am sorry for the trickery, my friend," Anders faced him. "But we had to know. You need to rest now, eat, sleep, lie down anyway... I shall join you shortly, I am not letting you out of my sight... I'm sure Dorian won't mind me no longer sharing his bedroom."

"Lucanis - you can have the large bedroom to the right," Dorian came to the middle of the room to play the host. "Emmrich, Anders, Bellara and myself will confer in the library. Davrin, bring us Neve after a bit, she's relaxing in the dungeons, and she needs supervision... at all times, please," he looked at Davrin who nodded. "The rest of you..." he shot a glance at the butler who bowed curtly. "Refreshments will be provided. Don't leave until we return."

He made a gesture with his wrist to signal the end of instructions, and promptly Emmrich, Anders and Bellara got up to follow him, while the others looked expectantly at the butler awaiting refreshments.

"And that is why Dorian is a Magister and I ain't," Varric smirked to himself, uncorking yet another bottle of premium Tevinter whisky.

...

"Zara of the Venatori created an artefact that allows to influence and damage a spirit possessing a host, and do it here in Mundus without going into the Fade to confront the spirit there," Emmrich summarised the situation to the other mages. "Illario used this artefact to attack Spite that is possessing Lucanis. Or rather I should say - Determination, for that is the proper name of the spirit. And no, it isn't a demon."

"That is bad news for Lucanis, but which other dangers does this artefact present?" Bellara looked up. "For those of us who aren't possessed by demons, that is."

"Zara is working to create demons of her own design, either having them possess slaves or even commanding them without possession," Anders explained. "Lucanis was her experiment. It didn't quite work because Spite didn't turn into a demon and does not answer to Zara. However, he still cannot stand up to that artefact. The danger of it is that Zara is building a demon army and that she will actually be able to control it too."

"Does that artefact control Spite and thus Lucanis?" Dorian looked concerned. "Could Lucanis turn onto us? Not of his own free will, you understand, but..."

"...but if he were controlled?" Emmrich picked up his phrase. "No. From what I've seen, that experiment really failed as far as Zara is concerned - she cannot make Spite do things. She can harm him though."

"Then for Lucanis it means that his life is in grave danger," Dorian nodded. "But on a grander scale there's Zara's demon army. Zara must die, and quickly."

"I think we all agree on that," Bellara nodded. "I also think that Lucanis has to be sacrificed."

"No." Anders said with an intensity that made everyone stare.

"You are saying this because he reminds you of your experience with Justice," Bellara shook her head. "I understand. Well, I don't really, I have no idea what it's like to be possessed by a demon... err... spirit... whatever. But I understand why you are so emphatic. But the truth is that Lucanis is a danger to others."

"No." Anders repeated. He was tense, his face was white, he was almost shaking. The reason he didn't say anything else was that he used all his willpower to control his emotions. Bellara was playing with danger.

"Sacrificing members of this group is out of the question," Dorian said with urgency, shooting sideways glances at Anders. "You really don't know what you are talking about, Bellara."

"I think we are digressing," Emmrich also sounded concerned. "The moment we even start discussing sacrificing members of the group for the good of the others, we spell out the death of the group. Can't you see that, Bellara?" He looked at her with that sad and disappointed expression that professors bestow on their favourite students when they commit unforgivable mistakes. "A group where people are anxious to be sacrificed for the good of the cause cannot function!"

"Well... if you put it this way..." Bellara shrugged. "Oh very well. He'll die all by himself soon enough."

"Ah... And that is the first topic on the agenda of this conference," Emmrich cleared his throat. "The second topic is how to kill Zara. But let us first focus on how to save Lucanis."

"What is Spite's condition?" Anders finally managed to speak. "You said it was bad."

"It is," Emmrich nodded. "You know how you can fight a spirit in the Fade and kill it... well, they've done the same thing, but without going into the Fade. Determination is almost dead."

"Almost?" Dorian gave him a long look. "But not completely because he is possessing Lucanis, yes?"

"Yes," Emmrich nodded. "Determination is alive because Lucanis' spirit - his soul - keeps it alive. But this is destroying the soul. Slowly, but certainly. Conversely, Determination has done the same for Lucanis in the past - when Lucanis was almost dead, Determination gave of itself to keep him alive. This is why I am certain it isn't a demon."

"It is a symbiosis then," Bellara spoke again and everyone glared, even though what she said was true. They just didn't trust her to speak.

"The ritual that Zara used to implant Determination into Lucanis, effectively fused them together," Emmrich nodded. "I could see no way to separate them without removing a significant part of each of them in the process. This would either kill them or damage them beyond recognition."

"Such as turning Determination into an actual demon or removing humanity from Lucanis," Anders nodded. "Justice told me about such things."

"Indeed," Emmrich inclined his head. "But even with you, Anders..." He paused, as if contemplating whether he should say what he was going to say. "Justice was never merged with your soul... Yet even after he cut the connection and left, he isn't entirely gone. You have been changed forever."

"I should have been dead," Anders nodded. "It took... well... someone else had to step in and give me something of himself to repair the damage, to plug that hole..."

"But I am not suggesting separating Spite and Lucanis," Emmrich tried to gently steer the conversation in the right direction. "What I meant rather was that Justice still influences the way you think even though he is long gone. And the same is true for Lucanis - Determination makes him more focused, but on the other hand, his life experiences make Determination look for options instead of always taking the shortest route."

"Where are you going with this?" Dorian squinted.

"I think the way for Lucanis to survive is to embrace Determination. To help him. To willingly support him. That will heal the spirit, Spite will be back and will stop leeching life energy from Lucanis' soul."

Emmrich finished speaking and looked at everyone in turn. Bellara shook her head in disbelief but didn't say anything. Anders was looking into the distance as if consulting with someone unseen. Dorian was rubbing his chin, but after a while his expression cleared and he nodded.

"The only question is, whether Lucanis will want to do it," he said. "He wants to be rid of Spite at present."

"It's up to you, Anders," Emmrich spoke softly. "You have gone through the same with Justice. You have to guide Lucanis on this journey. You have to convince him to accept it."

"Or else he'll die," Anders nodded.

"I think everyone is already fully convinced that I am still exclusively gay," Dorian smiled. "You no longer need to sleep in my bedroom." Anders and Emmrich smiled to that while Bellara looked completely bewildered, and everyone laughed at the way she looked. A little light-hearted intermezzo was very welcome.

"Very well, now for the second topic on our agenda - how to kill Zara," Emmrich cleared his throat again. "Or rather, how to find her. The killing part is obvious. Not easy, but obvious."

"Yeah, cutting off her head would do the trick," Anders laughed, remembering Alistair's favourite method.

"What about Neve - can she lead us to Zara? Can we trust Neve?" Emmrich looked at Dorian.

"Neve is now persona non grata with the Venatori," Dorian looked up. "Some sources I spoke to, say the Venatori want her dead. Other sources say she isn't important enough - yet. The Crows have been spotted delivering a letter to her - with a brick through the window. She isn't saying, but we must assume it was a threat to become hunted by the Crows unless she does something for Zara... It's pretty clear-cut as it goes."

"The Crows... no, wait. Lucanis is from the Crows," Bellara shuddered. "With all that Spite business I completely forgot... but Lucanis is a Crow!" She beamed at everyone. "So he would know about this, right?"

"Well..." Dorian chuckled. "The Crows have factions. Lucanis asked around - this isn't official business, this is somebody going rogue, but somebody high up. His cousin perhaps. Either way, Lucanis would not know."

"So, Neve," Emmrich picked up the thread of the conversation. "Can we use her and is she to be trusted?"

"I think so," Dorian nodded. "Let's call for Davrin."

He pressed a button that no one realised was there, and a servant appeared, nodded and left, all within a few seconds. Shortly afterwards Davrin entered with Neve.

"I have considered your request, Neve," Dorian spoke quite formally. "You may stay in this house and under my protection if you disclose your connections to the Venatori - and not just to me, but to the Shadow Dragons, that is, to the Viper. You will then help us find and kill Zara. You must realise that this will completely ruin your affiliation with them and make you into a target, rather more so than now. But, you will be with us. If you refuse these terms, however, you may return to the dungeons, for you realise of course that I cannot release you until Zara is dead."

"Well, the rat will really miss me down there," Neve smirked. "I agree to your terms. My Venatori affiliation is as good as dead already anyway. As for Zara - sorry, I can't help you. I don't actually know where she is."

Dorian laughed to that, long and heartily, as if he just heard the funniest joke of the evening.

"Who do you think I am, Neve?" He chuckled as his laughter subsided. "Try again."

"Well... it's true, I don't know where she currently resides," Neve shuffled her feet. "But I suppose... there are details I can impart upon you... and can find out more, I'm sure... oh very well..."

She came to the table, laying out some notes, marking some spots on maps, producing newspaper cuttings... she had quite a collection of things she apparently didn't know about. With the help of the others from the group, the missing pieces could be found, the picture would clear, and Zara would be within reach.

"One last thing, Neve," Dorian looked straight at her. "Wherever you go, Davrin goes with you. You asked for protection, and he is it."

"Protection and supervision in one," Neve smirked. "Well, Davrin, it looks like we are going to get acquainted..."

[Lena Wolf]

Evening Star, 3E410 - A sunset over Minrathous

When Anders entered Lucanis' room, he found him sitting on the balcony watching the sun set on Minrathous, a glass of whisky in his hand. He did not turn to look at Anders, he just kept watching the streets below. A second chair was set out by the table, and Anders took it. He poured himself a glass of whisky and sat watching the streets too.

"You must promise me never to do it again," Lucanis said after a short pause, still not looking at Anders.

"I promise," Anders replied without turning.

"What do you promise?"

"To never put you through a procedure without explaining what it would entail," Anders said softly. "To never trick you again."

"To never decide for me."

"Promise."

"Healers, mages, Grey Wardens - they all think to know what's best for the rest of us. That's why our books are full of contracts on their lives. And you are the worst kind - you are all of it at once." Lucanis took another sip of his whisky, rolling the liqueur in his mouth. Anders did not speak, and after a pause Lucanis continued. "The reason that no more Crows come after you, is that I took that contract. But I am a professional - if I decide to act upon it, I shall not fail on purpose. Zevran failed to kill his Grey Warden because he did not take the time to study his target. It wasn't just your run of the mill Grey Warden, and that's where Zevran went wrong. You are no ordinary Grey Warden either. You are in no danger from me yet, or we would not be having this talk." Lucanis made another pause, still watching the streets below and not looking at Anders, at least not directly. Anders kept silent. "A contract can only be annulled if the contract giver is dead. The contract giver is Zara, I think that was clear. When Zara is killed, you will no longer be a target for the Crows."

Lucanis stopped speaking, and they sat in silence for a time, sipping their whisky and watching the sunset. Then Anders spoke.

"If you are to survive, you have to bond with Spite. You have to accept him. You are bonded now, of course, through Zara's ritual, but Illario's spell all but killed Spite. He is alive because your soul sustains him. You are bonded in such a way that killing Spite in the Fade would kill a large part of your own soul as well. You will no longer be yourself, and I am not even certain you would survive without Spite at all. This was what Emmerich's probe showed."

"I have the right to choose to die," Lucanis replied. "If I choose to die because I do not wish to live as an abomination, you cannot stop me."

"I promise not to."

"Ah, good," Lucanis smiled. "I know of course that you can stop me. Now we understand each other."

"Spite kept you alive after the fight with the dragon," Anders said in a barely audible whisper. "He chose to do it."

"He isn't a demon, I get it," Lucanis nodded. "I killed enough blood mages to know what I am dealing with. I study my targets first, always."

"Do you want me to leave?" Anders looked at Lucanis, for the first time during that conversation.

"No, not tonight," Lucanis met his gaze. "How will I study you if you are not with me?"

[Lena Wolf]

Evening Star, 3E410 - Double jeopardy

"Minrathous is moving into the evening," Anders remarked looking at the streets below their balcony. "What say you if we go out for some entertainment? Just the two of us."

"You want to bait the Venatori with a double bait," Lucanis smirked. "Alright, I'm game. But not without equipment."

When Lucanis was satisfied with the selection of daggers and throwing knives on his person and Anders had discretely stuffed his own dagger and Arcane Sphere into the folds of his robe, they left the Pavus Manor and looked around.

"Anywhere in particular?" Lucanis saw several bars dotted around these upper class streets.

"The Gay Vint, I think," Anders pointed it out.

"Shouldn't you have Dorian with you for that rather than me?" Lucanis grinned.

"That was the only place where we got information last time around," Anders shook his head. "It's more about the prestige and the stature than about love preferences. It's also about having pockets full of coin - the place is outright expensive." He checked his coin purse to make sure they could actually afford The Gay Vint. "But yes, it does give you a certain connotation... or would you rather not?"

"You do like to walk close to the edge," Lucanis smirked. "I don't care. Let them talk. There's talk already, seeing how I never married."

"You kissed me. Repeatedly." Anders turned to face Lucanis. "What did you mean?"

"Your blood is sweet," Lucanis smiled. "I don't drink it but I can smell it. Your magic tickles. Yours is a life I would not wish to take, and yet it belongs to me - I have the contract."

"Is that it - I am just a target to you?" Anders' voice fell.

"There's no such a thing as 'just' a target, not for me," Lucanis shook his head. "Not for a long time already. I don't get routine jobs, you know. Every one of my targets is someone special. Besides, I have not yet accepted the validity of the contract on your life. It was issued to a rogue group, that is true - a group that no longer exists, I might add. By all laws and rules, I inherit the contract. But you are right, there's more."

"So, you choose not to answer my question," Anders inclined his head. "Very well. Come - The Gay Vint awaits."

When they entered The Gay Vint, the atmosphere inside was already dim with cigar smoke and foggy with the fumes of the waterpipes. The barman nodded to Anders recognising him from his previous visit, and Anders nodded back, indicating that they would have the same as last time - the best whisky in the house. "Wanted" posters with his likeness had disappeared from the walls, he noticed - undoubtedly Dorian's influence. The band was playing some undefined tune giving the place an eerie feel of neither here nor there. There were a lot of customers - nearly every table was taken. Lucanis pointed out one against the side wall, out of the way yet in full view of the rest of the room, and it was free.

"Ideal," he nodded to Anders.

They sat down and started watching the room. No one turned to look at them, yet they felt eyes from every direction.

"That mage in a blue robe over there," Lucanis discretely pointed across the room. "The one talking to a lady in pale pink... he's been staring at you ever since we entered."

"Yes, I noticed," Anders nodded. "But I've never seen him before."

"Well, he's seen you before," Lucanis smirked. "Or at least he knows who you are."

The band started playing an actual song and some people took to the dance floor, closing the view of the mage in a blue robe. The waiters navigated between the dancers delivering another round of drinks. When the song finished and everyone returned to their tables, neither the mage in blue nor his lady companion were there.

"Next time the band is playing a song, we should dance," Lucanis said quietly. "We now lost our quarry."

"I don't know if they were our quarry," Anders shrugged. "But sure. Moving about without attracting attention may be a good idea." He waved his hand calling for a waterpipe. "We can't just sit here openly watching the room," he smiled.

"I don't see how having a cloud of fog right in front of us is going to be helpful," Lucanis scowled. "What's in the pipe?"

"Tobacco, I suppose," Anders took a puff. "With spice."

"Don't get your head muddled up with that spice," Lucanis took over and had a puff too. "Well, it's mild, at least. And look over there - someone else is watching you. A flamboyant fellow, if I ever saw one..."

"Oh, I know that one," Anders laughed, waving to him. "Damien, one of Dorian's friends. He's the one we talked to last time."

He didn't have time for further explanations as Damien approached their table.

"Nice to see you again, Anders," Damien greeted him, pulling up a chair. "And - Lucanis, I presume? The Demon of Vyrantium himself, here at The Gay Vint? Nothing to worry about, I hope?"

"Lucanis Dellamorte of the Antivan Crows, at your service," Lucanis bowed slightly. "Not on business today, so nothing to worry about."

"A lot of people here are not so sure," Damien drew his eyes over the crowd. "Seeing the two of you together, here on a hunt... because of course this is no social visit." He leaned back in his chair, sipping his whisky.

"I noticed a few glances, yes," Anders smiled. "But then there was a dance and the people in question left by the time it ended."

"Because they noticed you notice," Damien nodded. "You need to be a lot more overt if you want to stir anything up. Because that's what you're here for... a double bait. But no one wants to put themselves in such a double jeopardy, against a blood mage and an assassin of blood mages... it must be terrifying to face the two of you in battle."

"You don't seem terrified," Lucanis smiled, scanning the scene. "Quite a lot of people are watching, to be sure."

"I am not your target," Damien shrugged. "I am also Dorian's friend. Well, close enough," he smirked. "So as a friend... Anders, will you dance with me?" He got up, offering Anders a hand, just as the band started playing another song.

"I'd be delighted," Anders joined him, throwing a glance back at Lucanis who nodded. The song was a mellow one, the dance not too fast and not too close, and the dance floor quickly filled up.

Lucanis watched the crowd at first, but not seeing anything of interest, he shifted his gaze to Anders and Damien who kept to the edge, clearly trying to stay in view and not be lost among the other dancers. They performed a formal routine... well-known steps of "middle class" dance, one meant for people who didn't really know each other. Lucanis wondered who ordered that particular tune... it could have been Damien. Perhaps a change of pace was due. He signaled a waiter, then whispered a few words, the waiter nodded and smiled, and walked over to the band. A few minutes later the previous song ended and the tune blended into a different one, with a piano and a guitar intermezzo announcing the transition. The dance floor changed, some people left, other people joined it, but Anders and Damien stayed, their dance steps adapting slightly to the new tune, but generally remaining the same.

Quem dorme à noite comigo?
É meu segredo!
Mas se insistirem, lhes digo.

The singer's sensual voice sounded secretive and urgent. "Medo," Lucanis thought, picking up the Tevinter lyrics. "She carries it well." He got up and went to the dance floor.

"Allow me this dance," he approached Anders, and Damien bowed out. "I hope you know the steps."

"We'll make them up as we go," Anders smiled. This was a Tevinter tango, not the usual Antivan variety and not sung in Antivan. The guitar was competing with the piano, this was a song of longing for something that never was, and the singer's voice carried the mood, both languid and hoarse at once.

"This is a close dance," Lucanis pulled Anders in the grip of a tango. "We dance like we dance it in Antiva," he led Anders' leg with his, their hips locked. "The same close steps."

O medo mora comigo,
Mas só o medo!

The singer wasn't rushing the song, leaving plenty of time between verses for the guitar and the piano, and thus, when she did sing, her voice became the focus of the tune, an arbiter or a reminder.

E cedo, porque me embala
Num vaivém de solidão,
É com silêncio que fala...

"E cedo," Anders repeated, but took the lead instead. "But we are in Tevinter, we do not dance like in Antiva." With their hips still locked, he now led Lucanis, sliding his leg up and down and moving the lock to the chest, releasing the hips.

There were no particular steps to the Tevinter tango, apart from the basic rhythm. It was a dance of the moment, invented by the dancers for that one time. Lucanis smiled - he always preferred that freedom to the more restrictive ways of the Antivan tango.

"No need to rub your leg against my groin, you know I've got the coin to pay you," he grinned, noticing the change in step.

Gritar? Quem pode salvar-me
Do que está dentro de mim?

People on the dance floor weren't paying attention to other couples, each focusing on their own dance, their own story. People who remained at their tables were watching the dance floor... Were they watching anyone in particular? Some might have been... Which story was being told? Anders felt eyes upon them, and that was what they were there for, that was why they were doing that dance... that was the plan, at least... but as Lucanis pulled him in an embrace and their lips met in a kiss, he forgot about the plan long enough to just hear the singer... Quem pode salvar-me do que está dentro de mim? And when the kiss ran out and the legs carried on making more steps, the lock moved to the eyes, releasing the body to move at will. Anders fell back and Lucanis caught him, twirling out of the way of another kiss, then falling back into a hip lock. The guitar and the piano were having a lengthy discourse, and the dancers had all the time to unfold their stories.

"Next time you sleep in my bed, you sleep with me," Lucanis whispered in Anders' ear. "No more holding back."

"I won't if you don't," Anders smiled. "Just how far do you want to go?"

Gostava até de matar-me.

The singer brought another verse like a cry of desperation and deliverance at once, she really did carry the song.

"How far will you take me?" Lucanis twisted away like he would in a fight, avoiding his opponent's sword, then fell onto Anders, pushing him low, almost to the floor, then catching him at the last moment and pulling him up again, his hand level with Anders' heart...

"Over the bridge," Anders laughed, sliding Lucanis' arms up to wrap around his neck, then taking him into a tango grip with his hands just below the waist. "If you let me..."

Mas eu sei que ele há-de esperar-me
Ao pé da ponte do fim.

The singer's voice trailed off, the guitar and the piano taking over completely, pushing the words away, rewriting the memory for those who dared.

...

"From the gentleman in green at the back table," the waiter put a note on their table, once they were seated again, the dance over. Anders picked up the note and looked in the direction the waiter had indicated - a richly dressed mage in a green robe was smiling at him and nodded seeing the note.

"Meet me behind The Swan in half an hour or so," he read the note to Lucanis. "Bring your friend. It is always better with a threesome."

"We got what we wanted," Lucanis smirked, nodding to the mage. "But I doubt it's about love."

"How far will this go, I wonder?" Anders mused, taking a large gulp of his whisky. "We should be ready."

"We are," Lucanis felt the knives and daggers tucked about his person. "As ready as we can be. Remember our date - I want to see that bridge, with you still among the living."

"And you," Anders gave him a look. "This is every bit about eliminating you as well as me. A true double jeopardy."

...

The alley behind The Swan was of course a trap, but not an overt one. The alley itself was empty, the mage in green was waiting there when Anders and Lucanis approached.

"Please follow me into the house," the mage said politely. "We shouldn't be conducting business in a back alley like some ruffians," he smirked. "We are nothing of the sort."

He turned and walked into the darkness, and Anders and Lucanis followed. The alley gave to a sturdy door, almost imperceptible against the back wall; the door opened to a warm, rich interior, no place for ruffians indeed. They stepped in, the door closed behind them and a mechanism was heard bolting it tight. The trap was sprung.

The mage in green turned around and picked up a staff, two more mages stepped out of the door openings, and several brutes armed with hand scythes stepped out before them, with more brutes undoubtedly waiting behind. Anders took out his arcane sphere, there was no room for a staff anyway. The sphere delivered different spells, but at close range it was a better weapon. Lucanis pulled out two short swords. The game was on.

...

"Why hand scythes?" Lucanis stood over a heap of corpses a few minutes later. "It doesn't seem to be a very effective weapon..."

"These were blood mages," Anders went through the pockets of the three mages, then proceeded testing out their staves. "The scythes were not meant to kill but to wound - to let the blood flow. These brutes were slaves no doubt, they never stood a chance... they weren't meant to stand a chance. They were primed as donors for blood magic already," Anders pointed at some tell-tale scars and tattoos. "Anyway, this was peanuts. I'll take one of their staves, they are not bad. We should proceed inside... I assume you agree?" He looked at Lucanis.

"Of course," he nodded, his face set. "I have the feeling this is Zara's abode..."

The underground complex was quite extensive and going through it was very much like going through Lucanis' villa room by room. Anders made it a point to pick up any potions along the way and to stop and heal every wound before continuing. Lucanis was again getting impatient.

"Let's just get on with it already!" He exclaimed angrily several times.

"No and no!" Anders insisted. "That's exactly what they want! That's why all the hand scythes! They cannot use our blood for magic just now, but they aim to weaken us all the same! Now hold still!!"

Lucanis could not pretend not to see the truth in that reasoning, and so he sighed and held still while Anders was healing every little flesh wound every time.

Eventually they entered a room with a pool.

"Not another pool of blood?!" Lucanis exclaimed in disgust when he saw what was in it.

"How rude of you to interrupt a lady while she's bathing!" A shrill female voice came from further in. "Illario didn't have the guts to kill you, I see," she smirked. "But I have no such problem! Your blood will add to the pool!"

"Zara..!" Lucanis turned to the voice and saw a woman in a red bathing suit rise from the pool... then he looked closer... that was no bathing suit... the blood from the pool was clinging to her skin.

This was no ordinary fight. The pool wasn't deep but the blood in it was far less diluted than at the villa in Treviso, and the woman was using it to replenish her magicka and to heal her wounds. She did not need to have a bleeding slave to perform a blood magic ritual - she had all the blood she wanted right there at her fingertips, and she used it for every spell she knew, nearly exploding the room itself in a blast of lightening.

"Came to play magic with me, Anders?" She cried out and laughed. "By all means! Help yourself to the blood, too! Let's have a party!"

"A party that would have us killed," Anders muttered in derision. "No, I had another strategy in mind..."

Rather than fight Zara head on, Anders decided to try and disrupt her healing and perhaps her ability to use the blood in the pool for her ends. A blood mage that was bleeding, could not heal effectively, that was the drawback of blood magic that won them many battles; but Zara seemed to have overcome that problem with her pool. Lucanis wounded her repeatedly, yet she didn't seem to weaken, and the blood clinging to her skin seemed to close any wounds and prevent bleeding out. How was that achieved? What controlled the blood? Anders wondered while focusing on healing Lucanis and avoiding being hit by Zara's lightening. If he was going to strike, it had to count, otherwise he'd just waste his magicka and break their defence.

And then he saw it: a thin layer of red mist was rising from the blood. At first he thought it was simple fog, but then he noticed three red lyrium crystals installed at the edges of the pool. The mist was magical, maintained by those crystals. He shot a bolt of lightning at one, but the crystal did not shatter - something else was protecting it in turn.

"You think Neve Gallus works for you," Zara sneered, watching his experiment. "She may do, but she is rather a toothless dragon now. She'd been with the Venatori for much longer than she'd been with her new friends, the Shadow Dragons. Neve is an expert in runes like these. Did she not tell you how to disarm them?" She laughed derisively, hitting Lucanis with another lightning bolt. "I'll kill your friend first, then you're next, Anders. You have until he's dead."

"Get the runes!" Lucanis shouted, launching another attack on Zara. "We cannot win while she's healing!"

"As you say..!" Zara laughed, leaving herself completely exposed to Lucanis' sword, receiving a deep wound that should have killed her, then instantly healing with the blood from the pool. "I do rather enjoy this dance!"

Anders climbed out of the pool and approached one of the crystals. Not wishing to waste his magicka, he hit it with his dagger to see what happened. The crystal emitted a soft, high pitched tone, vibrating for a few seconds, the stabilised and became still again. Anders hit it harder, and a fracture appeared, but similarly to Zara, the crystal healed itself. "What is the source of that power?" Anders wondered, looking around. A very faint red beam of light was streaming into the crystal from further in the room. It was very hard to see, but Anders followed it to the wall. A rune was drawn on it, with another red lyrium crystal in its centre. His first impulse was to hit the crystal with his dagger again to test the response, but something stopped him. What if the rune around the crystal was a protective shield? Or a mine perhaps? With the power of red lyrium, it could even knock him out. But how to know what it was? "Neve is an ice mage," Anders recalled. "If she sat up these runes... chances are, they are frost based. Let's try fire." He took a few steps back and shot a mild fireball at the rune. The frost enchantment came to life and all but evaporated it, but a small burn was seen, and would not recover. "So, fire." His next fireball was larger, causing a sizable explosion just above the rune, and the shock wave knocked him back. The rune wasn't giving up easily. Yet another part of it was burned out. "I don't have the time to go slow," Anders shook his head, watching Lucanis dance around Zara, looking pale. Yet getting knocked out by a rune would be counter-productive. He took a few more steps back, up to a column by the pool. "Let's hope this masonry holds," he sighed. His next fireball was massive. He expected a shock wave back and hid behind the column, hugging it tightly. The stone shook but held. The crystal in the centre of the rune shuttered in the blast. The thin beam of light vanished - the first crystal was now unprotected. Not leaving his post, Anders shot a lighting bolt at it, and it shuttered too.

"What?! You naughty boy!!!" Zara yelled, as the explosions reverberated in the room. "You broke one of my crystals!" She shrieked and laughed. "For all the good that it'll do you! Lucanis is all but dead!"

"Not dead yet!" Lucanis called out. "Keep going!"

"Not dead yet, but sounding weak," Anders noted with worry.

He tried to be as quick as he could. Tracking the beam of light from another crystal, locating another rune, finding cover and shooting a massive fireball... two massive fireballs, as it happened, then a lightning bolt at the crystal by the pool. It took a lot of magicka... he didn't have any left.

"You'll be drained of magicka by now, my boy!" Zara shrieked again. "These red lyrium crystals pack a lot of power, and Neve did a good job on her frost runes! Oh yes, she set them up, you figured it out. Well, why don't you use the blood in the pool to power your next fireball?"

"Don't listen to her!!" Lucanis cried from a far corner. "This isn't regular blood! Use your own!"

"Enchanted, perhaps," Anders nodded to himself, running to the final crystal to start the next cycle of tracking and blasting. "One more crystal. Let's hope I won't have to fight after that... this will take a lot of blood." The red lyrium crystal in the centre of the rune was enormous. How many fireballs would it take to burn through? He slit his wrist and started casting. "Four... five!" A massive explosion shook the room and several columns shattered, including the one Anders was using for cover. He was thrown to the floor, he nearly fell into the pool. A thin layer of red mist was still hanging over the surface of the blood-tainted water. The final crystal. Anders sat up and shot a lightning bolt. The crystal vibrated but held. "Self-powering," Anders reflected. "It had to be. The final rune. Well... I still have some blood..." He gathered all of his magicka, made a fresh cut and summoned a thunderstorm. A giant lightning bolt shot at the crystal from above, splitting it in two, then shattering the pieces. The noise was deafening. Several more columns collapsed, and it looked like the ceiling might cave in as well, but it held. The mist over the red water of the pool vanished. The enchantment was broken.

"Oiiii!!!!" Zara's shriek ripped through the thunder. She jumped out of the pool, as the water was of no further use. She was running towards Anders, completely ignoring Lucanis for the moment. He took off after her, but he was a distance behind her, with rubble blocking his way. "You die now, Anders!!!" Zara was upon him, shooting lightning as she ran, but her aim was poor and Anders managed to roll away from the bolts, too weak to stand. He was taking cover behind a piece of a column, his dagger at the ready - he had no more magicka for a spell of his own, but he was rather good with a blade...

Zara leapt, lightning streaming from her fingers, a dagger of her own poised to strike. "You die!!!" She cried one more time.

"No, you die!!!" A hoarse, hissing voice came out of nowhere, Lucanis diving from above... his spirit wings having carried him high. "You die now, Zara!!" His dagger found her heart, he did not miss.

For a moment everything was still. Zara lay on the floor and did not move, the wound in her chest was bleeding out and did not close. Anders sat up. Lucanis unsheathed his sword and cut off Zara's head.

"I don't normally take souvenirs, but this time I'll make an exception," he said, holding up the head and letting it bleed out. "Zara is no more." His spirit wings were still spread at his back. "Contract complete," Spite's hissing voice confirmed. "Partner."

...

"Zara is done," Lucanis planted Zara's head on the table in the salon of the Pavus Manor. "Neve is next."

"Neve?" Dorian looked up. "She was there?"

"She wasn't but the runes were hers," Lucanis shrugged. "Her life belongs to me, I have a contract," he smiled thinly. "Issued by Zara here. And it is up to me what to do..." His smile grew cold. "You tell her that."

"Neve is not to be trusted," Anders stepped forward, pale as a sheet. "We'll talk later, this will wait, won't it, Lucanis?" He shot him a glance and Lucanis nodded. "You and I have a date to keep."



~~~~~~~~~~~
Music by Amália Rodrigues, listen here, the second version with the guitar and piano discourse.

[macole]

A tango, dance magic at its finest. Thanks for including the Amália Rodrigues link.

[Lena Wolf]

Morning Star, 3E411 - Loose ends

"So, you can smile after all, Lucanis!" Harding exclaimed in mock surprise at breakfast.

"Of course I can smile, what are you talking about?" Lucanis scowled.

"I'm just saying..." Harding winked and giggled.

"Nice to see you putting my tutoring to good use," Dorian smiled at Anders. "If you want any more lessons..."

"Oh cut it out, will you?!" Anders glared at them, helping himself to jam.

"They won't if you two keep giving them cause," Emmrich smiled pleasantly. "In a house with this many servants any juicy stories travel fast, complete and in every detail."

"What detail?!" Lucanis exclaimed indignantly. "We aren't doing it when servants are present!"

"There are keyholes, my friend," Emmrich winked. "Augmented by vivid imagination."

"One look at you, Kadash, and I start imagining all sorts of juicy details," Taash laughed, looking at Anders. "Of course, I don't need to imagine them. Memory serves. Do let me know when you want seconds!"

"Did you sleep with everyone here?!" Lucanis glared at him.

"No, not everyone..." Anders shook his head as vigorously as he dared (just how much did he drink last night?).

"Not everyone, but not for the lack of trying," Harding smirked. "He isn't a shrinking violet, if you get my meaning!" She grinned at Lucanis.

"I think he might have noticed any shrinkage," Bellara suddenly joined in. "I know I didn't."

"Bellara???" Lucanis looked genuinely surprised. "Really?"

"What?" Anders shrugged. "We were bored..."

"You better not let him get bored," Davrin delivered his verdict, shooting a glance at Lucanis. "Grey Wardens don't have a good track record when they are bored. Have you tried his Conscription Ale yet?"

"A what???" Lucanis put down his toast and focused on coffee.

"It's a personal liqueur, every Warden has his own bottle," Davrin explained. "A blend of whatever. I hear Anders made his extra strong before coming here."

"Don't touch it if you value your liver!" Varric grimaced remembering his own experience. "How Wardens can stand such stuff, I shall never know! It's like drinking sodding flames!"

"Nothing burns like the Joining Cup!" Anders and Davrin replied in unison and laughed.

All in all, it was a beautiful morning.

...

"Do you need us any time soon, Kadash?" Taash asked Anders when breakfast was over. She had her arm around Harding who was about half of Taash's height.

"Need for what?" Anders looked puzzled. "Oh, fighting... probably not... why?"

"I want to take Harding dragon hunting," Taash grinned. "My axes and her bow... no dragon will be safe from us! Emmrich tells me there are still some good ones in Nevarra..."

"There used to be some good ones in Nevarra until they were all hunted to extinction three hundred years ago..." Emmrich rolled his eyes. "You know that."

"I know," Taash smiled. "But may be we'll find something else to do, should we get bored..."

"Speaking of travels, I'd like to look in on those young griffins, and Azzan wants to stretch his wings," Davrin joined in. "He's fed up with the rat diet in Minrathous," he scowled. "And since you just killed Zara, I figured..."

"Yeah, go on, why not," Anders smiled at them. "It's not like we have any leads right now. Come back though, we're not done yet."

Most people left the breakfast room but Anders and Lucanis were still sipping their coffee.

"We should return to Treviso," Lucanis said after a pause. "Illario has to be dealt with."

"What do you want to do with him?" Anders looked up.

"I cannot kill him, he is like a brother to me..." Lucanis sighed. "No matter what he'd done..."

"He is the reason you now have Spite," Anders gave him a long look.

"I know... and yet..."

"Then let's go and see... Caterina is waiting."

"I have accepted Spite," Lucanis said quietly. "I shall live as an abomination."

"I knew it when I saw your wings," Anders nodded. "You aren't... well... it isn't black and white. I knew a lady who had the Spirit of Faith in her, the same as you. It happens."

"It happened to you as well," Lucanis shot him a glance. "But you wanted Justice out."

"We weren't a very good match..." Anders sighed. "Justice was so forceful, so forthright... so righteous... and I..."

"And you like to walk the edge," Lucanis nodded. "Not just close, but right on top."

"One day it'll get me killed," Anders smirked.

"Not while you are with me," Lucanis smiled. "I really don't care who else you slept with. Let them talk."

"Caterina won't approve," Anders suddenly remembered her face.

"Caterina might surprise you," Lucanis smiled. "Besides, I am no longer a little boy in need of approval."

"Yet you won't punish Illario."

"And you have another cat. Again."

It was true. A tabby kitten found its way into Anders' things. There always seemed to be one around, wherever Anders went. The Wardens had long given up trying to get rid of them.

"Other Wardens have griffins or Mabari hounds, and that's permitted," Anders scowled. "I don't see why I cannot have a cat."

"Because it's soft and fluffy and makes you soft too?" Lucanis repeated the argument that Anders once told him about.

"Ah, you remembered," Anders smiled. "Yeah... oh well."

...

They took the portal to Treviso and stood in Lucanis' family villa a few hours later. The house was silent, there didn't seem to be any Venatori about. They went looking for Caterina, eventually finding her pushing chairs back against the walls in the theatre.

"Caterina, what are you doing?!" Lucanis ran up to her. "All this work... surely, servants can move furniture for you!"

"I am not dead yet and I can do it myself," she answered defiantly. "Luca... you've returned." She put down the chair and squeezed him in an embrace. "I was worried."

"Zara is dead," Lucanis said when she finally released him. "I suppose you know."

"Illario told me, yes," she nodded.

"Where is he?" Lucanis tensed.

"Scrubbing the pool," Caterina grinned. "With a toothbrush."

"That's cruel," Lucanis wrinkled his nose. "Just like when we were kids."

"I did much worse things to you when you were kids," Caterina sighed. "But after both of your parents were killed... all I had left were my two grandsons... I was cruel, I know. The punishment for failing in your training was too harsh. But you are still alive, despite..." She shook her head, regret burning her face.

"It was cruel and I resented you for it," Lucanis nodded. "Illario didn't get punished nearly as much."

"Illario didn't get into trouble nearly as much," Caterina objected. "You were always out, always exploring, pockets full of pebbles, spiders, scorpions even! You neglected your training too much."

"I... tried other things," Lucanis smiled.

"And that is why you are still alive, despite it all," Caterina smiled and hugged him again. "I know what happened, what you have become..." She shot a glance at Anders. "I know that he knows how it is. My Luca... an abomination..." She sighed and shook her head.

"Well, I cannot lead the Crows now," Lucanis said evenly. "Illario will have to do it, to keep it in the family."

"Illario will NOT lead the Crows!" Caterina cried in indignation. "Not after what he'd done." She turned around and paced the room. "No, I cannot permit it. You could lead the Crows of course, but I know you don't want it. We'll give it away. We have cousins. The Crows always change hands, perhaps it is time..."

"Then... I can leave?" Lucanis sounded surprised, hardly believing what he was hearing. "Not leave the Crows, but may be go away for a while..?"

"You want to spend time with your friend," Caterina smiled and frowned at once. "I am not blind, I see what is going on! You never married... In just a few years Mathilde will be too old to have children - you can marry her then, she is still waiting... You could have had a life together! But no, you did not want a family with the Crows..." She shook her head with scorn. "Do you love her still?" She faced Lucanis who looked gaunt, his eyes burning with fever. "I thought as much. That is why you now chose a man. No woman could replace Mathilde." She paused, watching Lucanis. "I too was young once... But the tango is not just for the young."

She walked over to Anders and faced him, he felt her gaze penetrating every secret he ever had.

"Keep him safe, blood mage," she said gravely. "A Grey Warden, you will next go after the Blight... and my Luca will come with you. Do not get him blighted or worse... He is a Crow, not a Grey Warden!" She said with emphasis. "Conscription Rite be damned..." She shook her head and looked away. "But then again, if you Wardens don't stop this Blight... nothing will matter anyway..."

"There is no one in Thedas I care for more," Anders said softly. "But it is as you say - we go after the Blight."

"Come back and see us from time to time," she smiled, putting her hand on his cheek. "Anders... This is the second assassin you Wardens 'borrow' from the Crows, and the first one is yet to return!"

"Zevran? But his life was forfeit..."

"At first," Caterina nodded. "But after that Blight he and his Warden returned and, well, they were very persuasive!" She gave a short laugh. "Zevran is wanted back! But he won't return for as long as his Warden lives... Will you not follow him as well? He left but you stayed behind..."

"I had to face life on my own," Anders smiled.

"With a hole through your heart?" Caterina looked him in the eye. "Aye, life is like a tango."

With Caterina back in control of the Crows, business at the villa was concluded. Yet, when Lucanis turned to leave, Caterina called him back.

"One more thing, Luca," she handed him a note. "Neve Gallus is here, with a plight to annul the contract on her life. Now that Zara is dead, it is permitted. Have you made up your mind yet?"

"Neve is a traitor," Lucanis paled. "Her runes were all over that pool in Zara's mansion."

"But she claims to have set them up before she realised what Zara was doing at her underwater prison." Caterina paused, watching Lucanis. "Before she started implanting demons into people... before you were captured."

"It isn't about me!" Lucanis cried, anger rising in him. "It isn't even about Zara! Neve had a chance to prove her loyalty, to tell us how to find Zara. Yet she flatly refused every time, leading us on a goose chase. She knew about that mansion since her runes were all over the pool!" He glared.

"And so she didn't betray Zara," Caterina shook her head. "Even despite the contract on her life. But she also did not betray you to Zara, even though that was the very reason the contract was enacted. All she had to do was bring you in..."

"But instead we had to walk into that trap on our own in order to find Zara," Lucanis scowled.

"It was your choice to bait her," Caterina objected. "You and Anders are walking too close to the edge..."

"The edge is where the action is, grandmother," Lucanis dismissed the argument, his face set. "The contract stands. Unless you order me to annul it... you are in charge."

"This one is up to you," she smiled. "But if you wait too long, she may turn against you."

"Zara may be dead, but her work is still there," Lucanis shook his head. "Someone else will pick it up and carry on. We need to know when that happens. With Neve in limbo, we'll hear about it. She is bait, Caterina."

"It's a dangerous game you're playing," she sighed. "But that's who you are. Be careful of this one scorpion in your pocket - she will sting you."

"And then she will die," Lucanis smiled. "She has until she betrays us."

"I see." Caterina shook her head and sighed. "Go now, I'll handle the rest. Enjoy Treviso for a while... Grey Wardens gather in the Anderfels, I expect you will soon be off. But there's still time for another tango, Antivan style."

She hugged Lucanis again, and then hugged Anders, quite unexpectedly, and without a word. They said their goodbyes and stepped out into an early evening in Treviso. Music was heard in the distance, coffee aroma was floating in the air. There was still time to relax, Antivan style.

[Lena Wolf]

Morning Star, 3E411 - An evening in Treviso

"Coffee?" Lucanis' answer to everything was coffee. "I need to get my head around of what just happened."

"Yeah, that was... unexpected," Anders nodded. From all possible Caterina's reactions to Lucanis' refusal to lead the Crows, acceptance was among the impossible. And yet, she must have decided it already a while back - she would hand over the Crows to some cousins instead of her favourite grandson. But Lucanis didn't want it and Illario was out of the question after all his treason... and Caterina chose to pass the Crows on so that Lucanis could join Anders in the fight against the Blight... "He is a Crow, not a Grey Warden!" That was all she said... Lucanis was not to be conscripted, but other than that... "It is the second assassin that Grey Wardens 'borrow' from the Crows!" Oh yes, Zevran was the first.

Caterina was in no rush to step down though. She would lead the Crows for a while yet, but Lucanis was no longer expected to eventually take over. That meant the world to him.

Treviso was descending into the evening, and Lucanis picked up the pace going straight to his favourite cafe. It seemed the whole city was out and about. The cafe was packed, but someone waved from a back table.

"Viago and Teia!" Lucanis pointed out his friends. "Let's see what they've heard already!"

"Congratulations!" Viago shook Lucanis' hand eagerly, all smiles, with Teia seconding him.

"Thanks, but what exactly have you heard?" Lucanis grinned, thinking they only knew half of the story.

"Why, Zara is dead, of course!" Viago gave him a broad grin. "It's the talk of the town! Well, among the Crows, at least. And Illario's role has not gone unnoticed," he frowned. "Caterina is back, and it won't be long before you're the head of the Crows!"

"Right on the first point, wrong on the last," Lucanis was savouring the pleasure of surprising him. "Caterina will pass the Crows onto some cousins. I will not take over."

"Oh! That is indeed a surprise!" Viago and Teia exclaimed in unison. "But why?"

"You know I've always dreaded this," Lucanis shrugged. "Grandmother spared me that agony."

"Dreaded... if the Demon of Vyrantium ever dreads anything..." Teia shook her head. "But then congratulations are even more in order! We'll have you back on contracts then?"

"Err... no," Lucanis smiled. "Not yet. I'll be joining Grey Wardens going after the Blight. Without becoming a Warden myself, mind."

"You'll be joining Anders here, you mean," Viago smirked. "It's unusual as far as honey moon destinations go... but whatever," he winked.

"Honey moon..?" It was Lucanis' turn to be surprised.

"Oh come now, it's obvious!" Teia laughed. "That's the other thing the whole town is talking about - and not just the Crows! Lucanis Dellamorte is no longer single!"

"That turned a few heads," Viago seconded. "And... well... never mind."

"Mathilda?" Lucanis asked, his face darkening.

"There's talk..." Viago nodded. "You know she recently widowed... by our hand. I suppose she expected..."

"That I marry her," Lucanis said gravely. "I know. I thought of this. I..." He paused, looking away. "It's been over twenty five years... since... we last spoke," he shook his head. "I am not certain whether it is the same woman... or may be the one I still love remained in the past?"

"You could have at least talked to her since her husband's death," Viago pointed out. "It was before your imprisonment."

"But what if she's changed?"

"Then you'll know it," Teia said quietly. "As it is, you are still thinking of the girl from twenty five years ago."

"I haven't spoken to her since she married," Lucanis nodded.

"She had no children," Viago added.

"You should find out," Teia agreed.

"Well... I'm not so sure," Lucanis looked away, focusing on his coffee.

They sat in silence for a while, then a street minstrel brought a song into the room.

"I am sorry, we should not have spoken of this," Viago touched Lucanis' hand. "It is none of our business. We are happy you finally found someone who is not family or a contract. Perhaps the past should remain in the past."

"Perhaps you should show Anders what Treviso has to offer," Teia smiled. "Tortoni has a new band, I hear they are quite good..."

"Tortoni always has good music," Viago agreed. "Even if it is often Orlaisian..."

"Well, what do you expect from an Orlaisian immigrant?" Teia shrugged. "But he knows his cooking..."

"Orlaisians usually do..."

"As do Antivans," Lucanis pointed out. "But why not. Shall we all go? Or do you have plans?"

"No plans," Teia said quickly, shooting a stringent glance at Viago. "Let's go!"

...

Cafe Tortoni was packed as usual, but there was always a table free for the Crows, especially this one Crow that the whole town was talking about - Lucanis. They refused the menu, only taking light tapaz and an invariable bottle of wine - Rioja Reserva, and none of that sweet Tevinter nonsense, as Antivans liked to point out. The night was young, and Tortoni's cellars were well stocked, with Rioja Granda replacing Reserva as the evening wore on.

The band was playing tango. One after the other, with tunes blending seamlessly into one continuous stream of music. There was no singer, the accordion was taking the lead instead. The dance floor was packed as densely as the room, cigar smoke mixing with that of cigarillos, large fans moving it up and away. The dancers seemed to be smoking too... Like at The Gay Vint, most dancers were focusing on their own dance, but the steps were more precise, more measured, as the rhythm of the Antivan tango was sharply punctuated with every beat... One, two, three, turn... one, two, three, turn... After a while Anders started noticing the difference among the dancers. While simple steps were most prevalent, some couples put a lot more variation into their dances, with daring acrobatic moves stealing the show.

"The Crows like to show off," Viago pointed them out. "We train in acrobatics from our youth, for professional reasons, you understand, but it also comes in handy on the dance floor."

"I see a lot of elaborate moves and very little passion," Anders commented, watching the floor.

"It's the music," Viago nodded. "Wait until the singer appears."

Several bottles of Rioja later, there was a subtle change. The accordionist slumped on a stool at the bar, tired after a long performance; several other musicians changed. A saxophone, a violin, a cello joined the jam... and yet the vibe did not change until the singer appeared.

Bésame, bésame mucho
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez...

The famous song walked in and took possession of the room. For a moment the dance floor froze, as if asking itself whether it was ready for real emotion. Some dancers were, others weren't. The time for acrobatics was over. The sax and the violin played a duet allowing the floor to make up its mind.

"And this is tango Antivan style," Lucanis got Anders to his feet. "None of that showy nonsense. Come - we start with the same basic steps..."

The voice, so deep it could be male, was nonetheless unmistakably female, blending the boundaries of perception. A woman in the second half of her life, simple and barefoot, sang effortlessly, her intimate words meant for just the one person in the room... and every person felt she sang to them.

The verses were simple; there wasn't much more to say, that first phrase carried all the love and the sadness at once. The saxophone, the guitar and the piano took turns to continue the conversation - the dance seemed to never end.

"They dance well together," Viago said quietly to Teia, watching Anders and Lucanis. "I wonder what they are talking about."

"Are they talking?" Teia followed them with her eyes. "They don't seem to need to."

"This is a song about losing someone you love, why would they dance to it?"

"May be they don't read too much into the lyrics and just enjoy the dance?" Teia smiled, putting her head on Viago's shoulder. "It's just a song..."

Quiero tenerte muy cerca
Mirarme en tus ojos, verte junto a mí...

"Just a song, eh?" Viago put his arm around her. "Bésame, bésame mucho..."

Anders and Lucanis were moving across the dance floor easily navigating between the other pairs as everyone seemed to be somehow always in step, and there was enough room for all the twirls and dives and even acrobatics, as out of place as it seemed in a tune like that. Lucanis was leading; just like in Minrathous, he let Anders fall in a deep dive, catching him at the last moment and bringing him up in a twirl just as the violin finished its phrase, with the saxophone taking over. And just like in Minrathous, Anders switched the step and took the lead.

"Que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte despué..." Lucanis mouthed with the singer.

"You won't lose me," Anders put out his hand in the fashion of the tango, taking Lucanis' in his. "We walk together." One, two, three, turn.

"To the gates of the Black City," Lucanis pressed his cheek to Anders', taking his lead in this tango. One, two, three, turn.

"As far as need be, I hear the song." A twirl, and back in step. One, two, three, turn.

"This isn't a tango," Lucanis smiled, changing step. "Although you can dance it as one." Another dive for Anders, with Lucanis catching him at the last moment.

"Antivan style," Anders smiled. "Nothing is as it seems."

The guitar won the argument this time, pushing both the saxophone and the piano to the background. It was a tango now.

Bésame, bésame mucho
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez
Bésame, bésame mucho
Que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte después...

"...perderte después..." It was now Anders mouthing the song.

"Not while I live," Lucanis caught him in an embrace, letting the legs do the slow steps.

"Is that a promise?" Anders smiled.

"It's a contract."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Music by Consuelo Velázquez sung by Cesária Évora -
listen here.

[Lena Wolf]

Morning Star, 3E411 - Another song

"Here we go again," Anders sat up in bed, having woken up in the middle of the night. "It's time."

"Hmm...?" Lucanis woke up too. "A nightmare?"

"The Blight is on the move," Anders straightened up, every frivolity evaporating from his person. "We leave in the morning, Lucanis. Minrathous, then on to the Anderfels."

"Luca... call me Luca," Lucanis put his hand on Anders' shoulder, sensing how tense he was. "And so it begins."

"The other Wardens will have sensed it too," Anders nodded. "But still, tell Spite to contact Avernus through the Fade... Tell Alistair to be ready."

"Avernus knows," a spectral crow appeared at Lucanis' shoulder. "He sends his regards," the crow hissed. "They will wait for your signal... you move first."

"Linus Kristavssen - that is my name," Anders turned to Lucanis. "I never told anyone. But we go to the land of my birth, and we may not return. I have a feeling this Blight will not be fought in the Deep Roads, but in the Anderfels. The fall of the Head Quarters was symbolic in more than one way."

"We'll do our best, Linus," Lucanis said softly.

"It's strange to hear you call me that," Anders smiled. "I haven't heard that name since I was little... I remember my mother calling me that... just barely, she died when I was too young... I remember my uncle and aunt saying my name... and it isn't something I'm fond of. When the templars took me to Ferelden, I would not tell them my name out of resentment at first, but then they called me Anders - one from the Anderfels - and I thought why not, it was a new start, why not leave my name behind... since my parents were dead anyway. What a thought for a seven year old..." He smirked. "I don't know if Linus is still alive."

"You chose a name that connects you to that frozen land every time someone speaks it," Lucanis inclined his head. "Anders. You carry the Anderfels with you wherever you go, even to your home in Ferelden. The Soldier's Peak is frozen too - it fits. But in the Anderfels you no longer need to be reminded. Linus isn't dead, he's just been waiting to return."

"I want my name to be known in case we perish," Anders nodded. "Anders, Mage of the Circle of Ferelden, Anders of the Order of the Grey of Ferelden, Linus Kristavssen of the Anderfels. That one has no titles."

It was still the early hours of the morning but neither of them could sleep any more. Lucanis got up and started making coffee.

"It isn't the first time you're going after the Blight," he said, shooting a glance at Anders. "But this Blight seems different."

"It is," Anders nodded. "The song has changed - the song of the Blight that I hear, that every Grey Warden hears. This Blight is going to test me on every level - as a mage, as a Warden, as a leader... that last one is a first for me, and that worries me the most."

"A good leader gets help, and that's what you've been doing," Lucanis pointed out. "Your team - yes, it is your team and not Varric's or Dorian's. We follow you, we stay because of you."

"It's ironic, really," Anders smirked. "Because I am Dorian's slave."

"He bought you out to save your life, no?" Lucanis shook his head. "So yes, officially, by Tevinter laws, you are his slave - in Tevinter only. But Dorian does not see you as a slave, and we all know that."

"Yeah... So I had to be bought out, or else I'd be dead." Anders tensed up, self-doubt eating at him. "How many times Wolf came to my rescue? I lost count. Wolf left, and now it's Dorian who stepped in, but the point remains - I have to be rescued. I always mess things up."

"And if you didn't keep sewing me up after that dragon fight, I'd be dead too," Lucanis reminded him. "And when Illario nearly killed Spite. And when we were going through the villa and through Zara's house - without you, I'd be long dead for sure. People need help sometimes," he smiled. "You get in trouble because you always walk the edge."

"Which is not something a leader should do!"

"Oh, I don't know," Lucanis squinted. "It really depends. In the case of this Blight, safety will get you nowhere. You are exactly the right man for the job."

They returned to Minrathous at the first light. The Pavus Manor was still asleep when they entered, and again Lucanis' response was to start making coffee. Soon the residents started getting up.

Dorian was the first to appear and signal the butler that breakfast should be hearty and served immediately. He wasn't a Grey Warden, but he still knew that something was afoot. Davrin arrived the previous evening without saying a word, and that put Dorian on edge.

"It's time," Anders nodded when Dorian asked about the Blight. "We've all heard the song."

"That explains Davrin," Dorian agreed. "But should we send word to the others? Taash and Harding are somewhere in Nevarra."

"I would be much surprised if they didn't turn up here today," Anders smiled. "Neither of them is a Grey Warden, but Harding still has connections, and I think she would have been informed. What of the others?"

"Emmrich and Bellara are here," Dorian looked around as if expecting them to enter the breakfast room any moment. "Neve... what do you want to do with Neve?" He looked at Lucanis.

"Neve is a traitor," Lucanis said coldly. "Set her loose and watch. She'll betray us at some point, and who she betrays us to will be more important than she herself. I shall kill her then."

"As you wish," Dorian nodded. "We shall set her free." He fumbled in the pockets of his robe looking for something, and Anders took advantage of the pause. He embraced Dorian and kissed him, disregarding the surprise.

"Thank you," Anders said. "Master."

"What..?" Dorian looked dazed, it was too early in the morning. "Master..? Oh right, yes, here, this is for you." He finally found what he was looking for - an official scroll with a seal of the Tevinter Magisterium. "I should have done it sooner. I do apologise for the delay."

It was a document declaring that Anders was no longer a slave of Dorian Pavus but a free man, no financial compensation required.

"We never thought you considered him a slave," Lucanis said, seeing the document. "And now it is official."

"That's not what I meant," Anders smiled. "Although thank you for that too."

"He meant us." Lucanis stood right behind him.

"For opening our minds." Anders still held Dorian in an embrace and he kissed him again, looking into his eyes.

"I... well... I am happy for the two of you," Dorian smiled. "Life isn't always clear-cut, is it?" He hugged Anders. "So, what now?"

"Now we go after the Blight," Anders suddenly looked serious. "Are you coming? We could use a mage of your power."

"Like in the old days, eh?" Dorian grinned. "Of course I'm coming. Varric too, he's been polishing his crossbow for several days already. We're with you, Anders," he added reassuringly.

"We should wait for everyone to assemble," Lucanis nodded. "Spite will open a portal to the old Grey Warden Head Quarters. He's got everything ready."

"Well," Dorian looked pleasantly surprised. "I am glad, Lucanis. It could not have been easy to accept."

"You have no idea," Lucanis said with a frown.

...

It was a grey cold mid-morning of the following day when Anders and his team stepped out of a portal in the middle of the ruined Grey Warden Head Quarters in the Anderfels. The portal closed and a spectral crow landed on Lucanis' shoulder. Davrin shot it a sideways glance and shivered. Azzan flapped his wings but didn't take flight. Emmrich smiled and nodded.

"Wardens?" Someone called to them from further in. "Who goes there?"

"Wardens Anders and Davrin with friends," Anders replied loudly. "Good to see someone is paying attention."

"There are just a few of us here," an elderly Warden approached. "Not really fit to fight after... you know," he shook his head. "But we keep watch. You heard the song, I take it?"

"It's hard to miss," Anders nodded.

"You should go to the other Keep," the Warden continued. "Antoine is there, they've had a lot of fighting. The Blight is on the move."

"Why there?" Anders squinted. "And not here, for example?"

"What's here is no longer important," the Warden shrugged. "Not to the Blight, that is. A bunch of old books is all that's left. Oh yes, and the Archdemon blood in the vaults... But if the Blight has a new living Archdemon, they don't care for the old blood in the vaults."

"The other Keep doesn't have anything special, but there are Grey Warden Vaults nearby," Davrin nodded. "The ones that keep the artefacts from all past Blights. They are said to be huge... a fortress in itself. No idea what's in there, we were never allowed in..."

"Who's guarding them?" Anders looked worried.

"No one..." Davrin shrugged. "Well, traps... you can't actually get in."

"Unless you really want to," Anders looked somber. "You've been to the Deep Roads? No? Well..."

"Deep Roads entrances are marked on this map," the elderly Warden handed Anders an old map with hand-made markings. "These..." he pointed out two or three, "...are just near the old Vaults here. There may be some inside as well. Take it. I have no need of it any more, I can find them in my sleep."

Anders thanked the Warden and took the map. He noticed black veins running along the Warden's wrist - he must have been hearing the song loud and clear, yet chose to resist for as long as he could. He didn't have much longer to live.

"Do you have enough mixtures for the pain?" Anders started offloading vials from his pack.

"We do, keep them," the Warden stopped him. "Take them where the fighting is. We'll manage back here. Come bury us if you survive - this is our last Blight."

"You have no mixtures, do you?" Anders squinted and shook his head but put the vials back into his pack. "Keep records. What is your name?"

"Roderik," the Warden replied. "Markus and Linus are back there, they don't walk very well, Anders of Ferelden..."

"Linus Kristavssen of the Anderfels," Anders said softly. "Your comrade's namesake. Tell him... there's another Linus with the Wardens."

"Good luck to you, Warden of the Anderfels," Roderik smiled. "Good luck to you too, Warden Davrin," he turned to Davrin who was listening with horror. "Let's hope you'll live to see black veins appear under your own skin, many years from now..."

...

"That Warden is all but consumed by the blight," Davrin was saying in a hushed voice as they were walking towards the other Keep. "Have you seen his veins? Yes, of course you have..." he shivered. "He must be in agony!"

"And yet he keeps to his duty," Anders pointed out. "Roderik, Markus and Linus... we must remember them."

"I can't imagine what it must be like... the song must be overwhelming," Davrin was still in shock.

"At this stage of blight consumption the pain almost blots out the song," Anders said quietly. "It varies from person to person... but that's what most of them report."

"You've seen a lot of dying Wardens, haven't you?" Davrin suddenly realised that Anders was a healer.

"No, I've seen only some, in the Deep Roads. The ones that went down fighting, at much earlier stages of the blight. I've seen a lot of blighted people though. At some point no mixture is strong enough to stop the pain..."

"What did you do?" Davrin stopped dead.

"It depends what they wanted," Anders stopped too, facing him. "Some wanted death, which I granted, others... well, it depends."

"Others wanted to join Grey Wardens to stop their blight," Davrin guessed. "Which you did not grant?" He raised an eyebrow.

"It's the wrong reason to join Grey Wardens," Anders' eyes were hard. "But it wasn't my decision. I put them in contact with whoever was in charge locally. Not many survive the Joining when they are so far gone."

"And those that do?" Davrin wanted to know. "Does it really stop their blight?"

"It doesn't, no," Anders shook his head. "But it slows it down and takes away most of the pain. It's like they get a boost, like they can go on for a while longer before succumbing to it. Like the Blight in the Archdemon's blood that hey drink combines with their own making them stronger... That's the terrifying thought - self-healing Blight. Antoine has been studying it..."

"Antoine is one of those Grey Wardens who joined because he was blighted," Davrin pointed out, resuming walking.

"Yes, and in Antoine's case my reservations don't hold," Anders nodded. "He is a true Warden."

"As opposed to false Wardens?" Davrin didn't agree with those reservations. "We are all Wardens, Anders, regardless why we joined. Many simply get conscripted by the Rite, whether they like it or not."

"A good Warden-Commander does not force anyone to join Grey Wardens," Anders shot Davrin a glance. "The recruit must understand what he's getting into! How did you get conscripted?"

"I got bored," Davrin shrugged and grinned. "Growing up in the forests of Tevinter... I am Dalish, you see," he stroked his elven ears. "There was nothing to do! It's either hunt the deer or tend to the halla... and I wanted action! Monster hunting! So I came here to the Head Quarters and asked to join. And was accepted."

"I see," Anders didn't sound surprised. "And has it been everything you hoped for?"

"Up until the Head Quarters got clobbered... yes," Davrin sighed. "The actual Blight is ugly."

"It is."

They walked in silence for a while and the turrets of the old Keep were already appearing in the distance when Davrin finally dared to ask his question.

"I know we didn't start out well... I behaved like a dunderhead," he said somewhat awkwardly. "But why did you join, Anders?"

"I was rescued by the Wardens," he answered simply. "I was going to be made tranquil, but one Warden went out of his way to save my life. Then I knew where I belonged."

"Wow! That's romantic..." Davrin whistled.

"It didn't feel very romantic at the time, I assure you," Anders smirked. "But in essence that's what it was," he concluded just as they were walking up the steps of the Keep. "Antoine!" He cried to someone within. "Reinforcements have arrived!"

A tired-looking elf met them at the top of the stairs.

"Hello, my friend," he smiled to Anders. "Come - it's quiet for the moment. Let me tell you about the new song of the Blight..."

[Lena Wolf]

Morning Star, 3E411 - This Blight is different

"This Blight is different," Antoine was showing Anders his findings. "These tissue samples refuse to die. You can see them pulse - the Blight has life in it."

"It's like the Blight is the source of life," Anders shook his head. "This is nothing like what I've seen so far. Normally the Blight is dead... except..." He paused, thinking back on the new Blight that he and Wolf encountered soon after the end of the previous one. Thinking, conscious darkspawn. Darkspawn prison. Darkspawn keeping Grey Wardens alive for their blood. Red lyrium being grown in people's bodies. He shuddered involuntarily. "Any sign of red lyrium in it?" He asked looking closely at the samples.

"None that I could see..." Antoine gave him a long look. "What are you thinking?"

"I wonder why the Blight wants us," he looked up. "Grey Wardens, I mean. Archdemons never wanted anything to do with Grey Wardens other than kill us, but this Blight... have you heard of Grey Wardens being captured?"

"I've heard... but I didn't believe it," Antoine sat down.

"Well, believe it - I was in one of those prisons myself... as a prisoner," Anders rubbed his forehead. "We need to find out whether the Blight here has the same intent. We need to find who leads it. The dreams aren't clear, not mine anyway. How about you?"

"Confusing," Antoine agreed. "I hear the song, the same as everyone, but there is no dragon... I am unsure who leads it."

"But it's here somewhere, in the Anderfels," Anders looked around as if trying to see the leader of the Blight. "I can feel it. It's strongest here." He paced the room, then returned. "Tomorrow we mount a scouting mission to the old Grey Warden Vaults. Look at this map," he laid Roderik's map on the table. "There are several Deep Roads entrances near the Vaults, and Roderik thought there may well be some inside. We should see what's going on there, whether that's where darkspawn is coming from. And if so, we go in and find the broodmother or whoever else is in charge."

"If anyone is in charge," Antoine nodded. "But I agree - we need to investigate. Tomorrow. But now it's late, we should go to bed."

The old Keep still had some sleeping quarters, although it was cold and there were not nearly enough beds for everyone. They laid out bedrolls and huddled together for warmth, eventually falling asleep out of exhaustion. No one expected it to be a luxury holiday, and no one complained.

...

Anders was thrashing in his sleep.

"Warden Anders! You are a disgrace to the Order!" The voice of the First Warden was deafening in his ears, the space around him was dark and cold, frozen fog hung in the air.

"Frozen by magic," Anders reflected, noticing tell-tale traces of magical energy. "Where am I?"

"You will come here and present yourself, Warden!" The voice was calling from further ahead, but Anders could see nothing in the dark. The footing seemed solid if slippery, and he started walking towards the voice.

"Your place is here! You must repay the damage you've done to the Order of the Grey!" The First Warden's voice was commanding, yet Anders could not see where or what "here" was. What damage was the First Warden talking about? Surely, not thrashing his favourite bar... "Your blood will strengthen us!"

Anders stopped dead. His blood... a Grey Warden's blood... That wasn't the First Warden speaking, that was the Blight!

Carefully he continued walking towards the voice, now hearing other noises coming from the same direction. There also seemed to be light in the distance.

"You must join us and help us rebuild the Order!" The voice kept commanding him. "We require every Grey Warden with us, even one like you!"

"Stop," suddenly Solas stood before him, blocking the way. "You must not proceed."

"Solas," Anders sighed but stopped. "Is this your trick? Your illusion?"

"Alas, this is no illusion," Solas sighed too. "I am an illusion, however. I am still in that prison in the Fade where you got me locked up... What you see is a projection." He smiled when Anders put his fist through him. "I am not actually here, not in the flesh. But hear me out, nonetheless. You are close. Close to the source of the Blight, close to the gods that escaped... In particular the one that invented the Blight in the first place. She has been 'improving' it. She made it into a source of life. Blighted, of course, but alive. I believe your friend Antoine came to the same conclusion."

"He has," Anders nodded, trying to control his anger. "So what's your point?"

"Still abrupt as always, I see," Solas shook his head. "Your time with Justice didn't make you a better man, Anders, it made you worse. But no matter. You killed her Archdemon, she is now mortal. It doesn't mean she will be easy to kill. She now has the Blight itself protecting her. However, she isn't done perfecting it yet, and therein lies your chance. The Blight depends on demonic growth for its renewal - those boils you've seen before. Focus on them. You will find a broodmother too, and it's another boil. Destroy it all. This will buy you time to go into the Vaults and find out what is really going on. There, don't say I didn't help you."

Solas vanished.

"Warden Anders!" The First Warden kept calling to him. "Present yourself!"

Anders peered in the direction where the voice and the noises were coming from. He thought he saw movement too. Something was going on there... was this the Fade? Surely, he was asleep, he was dreaming, so this must be the Fade... in which case he shouldn't believe anything he'd see or hear. He should leave. He should wake up.

That was easier said than done, however. He felt something bind him to the space around him, like a spider web... He felt his movements slowing, it was becoming difficult to breathe too. Blood droplets started appearing on the surface of his skin, he saw it on his hands, he felt his blood boil in his veins and rise to the surface, then seep out through the pores. "Blood magic," he thought. "But where is the mage?" A moment later he could no longer move. "That's it..." he thought. "I don't believe I was the right man for the job..."

The last thing he saw was a shadow of a large bird diving in the direction of the voices and the light.

...

Lucanis sat up with a jolt. Most people were still asleep, but several Grey Wardens also woke up, nodding to each other and getting up. Anders lay next to him motionless, he was thrashing no more. Blood was seeping out of his pores, tiny droplets covering his face, his hands and undoubtedly the rest of his body. It would not take long for the stains to appear on his robes.

"Dead?" Lucanis searched for his pulse. "Not dead, but nearly so," he shook his head. "How do we stop this?" He looked around. "Dorian!" He tried to wake up Dorian, but Dorian was similarly unresponsive, although no blood droplets were visible on his skin. "Emmrich! Bellara!" The mages were all unresponsive. Everyone else was already awake by then.

"It's blood magic," Davrin shook his head. "It's the Blight! It spoke to us all, but it got the mages somehow... even the ones who aren't Grey Wardens!"

"They are trapped in the Fade," Lucanis said firmly. He wasn't sure how he knew that. "I am going after them."

"What? How?" Davrin turned around, astonished. "Only a mage can go into the Fade, and it takes lots of lyrium and other mages to open the portal, and..."

"I don't need a mage to send me into the Fade," Lucanis got up to this feet, looking grim. "I have Spite. I am an abomination."

He clapped his hands and tensed. Spirit wings appeared at his back, he opened them, but instead of lifting him in flight, the wings span a portal and he stepped through it, with the portal closing behind him.

"Well, I never..." Davrin shook his head, looking at all the mages in the room, motionless on their beds and bedrolls. "Good luck, Lucanis. I sure hope you know what to do..."

...

"This way to the target!" Lucanis heard Spite's hissing voice somewhere ahead, there were noises and light there, and movement. He looked around but couldn't see much of anything else, the place was dark and damp, frozen fog hung in the air... Not seeing any better options, he followed Spite.

The light ahead was very dim, yet it stood out in near complete darkness that was everywhere else. A huge pulsating boil of demonic growth was in the middle of the cavern, if it was a cavern... Lucanis could not see a ceiling. Spite in his crow form was circling the boil, carefully avoiding its moving tentacles. Spite was larger than a crow... much larger. Lucanis smirked, thinking that in the Fade nothing was as it seemed. He drew his sword and dagger. How does one kill a boil?

"Beware of the tentacles!" Spite hissed, narrowly missing one himself. "They will kill you."

"Right." Lucanis opened his wings again - he still had them, even with Spite out of his body. "Must be the Fade," he reflected. "Let's go, Spite!" He soared above the boil, looking for weakness. There didn't seem to be any, the skin of this demonic growth seemed exceptionally tough and it was flailing its tentacles wildly. "There - pick any spot..." Lucanis decided. "Any spot between the tentacles... dive and stab... then soar again." He spelled it out hoping that Spite would understand - he was asking for help.

"Now!" Spite hissed, flying fast just over the boil, circling it and somehow pushing the tentacles out of the way for a moment...

Lucanis dived, landing on the skin of the boil, then thrust his sword into it, making a cut. Repulsive slimy puss shot out of it, ear-splitting whistling hiss nearly knocking him out. His wings lifted him up and he soared above the boil.

"Again!" Spite circled him in the air. "Now! Don't let it recover!"

Now that Lucanis knew what to expect, he became faster and more effective. He was no longer knocked back by the hiss, he avoided getting covered in puss. After so many cuts, the boil could no longer flail its tentacles about, they were now hanging limp, only moving along the ground. And yet the growth was refusing to die.

"We need a mage..." Spite was circling the growth. "Keep it busy! I'll be back..."

"What..?" Lucanis shot him a glance, but the crow was already disappearing in the darkness. "Well... Hmm... Alright! Dive!"

...

Anders opened his eyes and realised that he wasn't dead. The space around him was dark and damp, just like before, and breathing was difficult, but blood was no longer boiling in his veins. He scrambled to his feet and looked for that source of light he'd seen earlier. Oh yes, it was still there. "Solas warned me not to proceed," Anders recalled. "But what else am I to do? Forget Solas..." He moved towards the light.

"You must be very careful there," a bird appeared out of nowhere and landed on the ground, turning into a spectral form of Lucanis. "Demonic growth is the mage that is controlling your blood," he said. "Use lightning - cut your wrists, you need it all... Hold nothing back!" He ran towards the light and Anders saw a huge shape of a boil against the shadows. A bird was circling it, diving into it, then soaring again...

"Lucanis?" He thought in disbelief. "Here, in the Fade..?" But Lucanis must have been getting tired, and one of the tentacles started flailing again, hitting him square on the chest and propelling him through the air into the darkness. "Blood... storm... now!" Anders didn't waste any time on thinking. He cut both his wrists, summoning a massive storm cloud right over the boil, then sending additional bolts after it, again and again. He kept hitting the boil until no more tentacles were flailing and the pulse finally stopped. The boil shriveled slightly and turned into a mass of blighted flesh, blackened and dead. Anders staggered, holding on to it. He seemed to have made it. But what about Lucanis?

A faint purple glow was visible somewhere in the darkness, and Anders started walking towards it, hoping that the surface was still solid in that direction. The glow grew slightly brighter, then took shape of a man lying on the ground. Lucanis and Spite, almost merged, and both nearly dead.

"Luca... it's over," he knelt over him. "Come on, wake up. We should be leaving now."

"Hmm..?" Lucanis sat up, Spite merging into him. "Anders... Linus," he smiled. "You are awake. But what about the others?"

"What others?"

"The other mages... All trapped in the Fade."

"I haven't seen anyone else," Anders shook his head. "They must be trapped each in their own bubble. We cannot reach them from here. Let's go. You killed the blighted boil."

"No, you killed the blighted boil," Lucanis smiled. "Take my hand. We are leaving."

Anders was going to object that in order to leave the Fade all you had to do was will it, but Lucanis shook his head, Spite opened a portal and they stepped through it.

...

"What did you do?" Dorian sat up and looked around, noticing other mages also sitting up, dazed and confused. "What just happened?"

"You all got trapped in the Fade," Lucanis told them, kneeling over Anders. "Your bodies were here but your spirits were stuck in the Fade. Mages... You're nothing but trouble." He smirked, turning to Anders who was also sitting up. "You got all bloody, Linus, look at yourself," he shook his head. "That wasn't just in the Fade. But you got that boil."

"I had help..." Anders smiled.

"You did the right thing to accept it," Lucanis nodded. "I told you - you are the right man for the job."

[Lena Wolf]

Morning Star, 3E411 - Dreadwolf

"You had us worried, Blondie," Varric walked up to Anders, slinging his crossbow across the shoulder. "Lying there half dead, bleeding through your skin... other mages all out cold... What did you do? Blood magic never pays, I always say, and red lyrium even less so."

Anders looked up. He was still sitting on his bedroll, covered in a thin layer of blood where it seeped through the pores in his skin. His hands and face were red with it, his body undoubtedly too, but the stains were yet to appear on his robes. This was the result of a blood magic spell cast by a blighted boil, not even a creature as such... He killed it, having used a lot of his own blood to cast a storm strong enough to overpower it. It was blood magic too. Blood was everywhere, and he was a blood mage. He looked at Varric standing there grinning smugly, and anger started rising in him. Wolf always treated Varric with kid gloves, but why, actually? Was Varric really so sweet that everyone adored him? Were the nicknames that he kept giving everyone, really so nice? Who did he think he was?

Anders got to his feet, white as a sheet under the layer of blood on his skin that looked like red mist.

"Never again call me Blondie," he said in a hissing voice. "Scheisszwerg."

"What..?" Varric paled and swallowed. "What did you call me?"

"A nickname," Anders flared his nostrils, trying to keep rage out of his voice. "Remember who you are dealing with."

They stood there, facing each other, their eyes locked. Anders was tall, and Varric barely came to his chest, being a dwarf, but both possessed the strength of character that made the difference in height irrelevant. Varric was older and behaved as if he owned the place; Anders was younger but not of the first youth either, and his life experiences were far more extreme and varied. Flashbacks of Justice kept haunting him, making him edgy in any confrontation. He suddenly felt he deserved some respect, and Varric wasn't giving him any. Perhaps it was time things changed.

"We make a deal," Varric said slowly. "No nicknames, Anders. I back down, this isn't worth it. We have a Blight to defeat."

"Agreed," Anders nodded. "I am not Wolf. Never taunt a mage."

They both lowered their gazes and walked away, but everyone who witnessed the scene, was still frozen in shock. Anders just put Varric in his place. No one had ever done that.

...

"The Blight operates both in the Fade and in Mundus," Anders was presiding over a council over what to do next. "The boil that we killed in the Fade, wasn't even a creature, and yet it controlled all mages through blood magic. It controlled mages' spirits, to be precise - captured during sleep. It may well be able to control non-mages as well, we all go to the Fade when we dream." He looked around the table and everyone had a worried expression.

"But you killed it," Antoine pointed out. "We, Grey Wardens, all felt it. The song lightened up."

"As Solas said, this buys is time," Anders nodded, not happy to mention Solas, but fairness required he gave him his due. "Solas sounded like those boils are simultaneously in the Fade and in Mundus, demonic growth can do that. He said it bought us time to go to the Vaults. If so, we can hope to find more boils there and kill them with conventional means."

"You mean swords," Davrin nodded approvingly.

"It isn't as easy as that..." Anders started, but then changed his mind. "Yes, swords. And magic. It seems you need both." He paused, then added for the mages: "The boils are sensitive to electricity, so use storm spells. They may be sensitive to something else, but I don't know what."

Everyone nodded.

"What are your orders, Commander?" One of the Grey Wardens asked from the back of the room.

"Commander?" Anders looked up. "Well..."

"You are in charge," Antoine touched his hand. "That's what he meant. Commander."

"Alright!" Anders cleared his throat, earlier confrontation with Varric suddenly rising in his mind. He was in charge, indeed. "We should maintain posts along the perimeter, I do expect further attacks and we need an early warning." Several Wardens nodded. "Keep the fortress secure to rest and treat our wounded. And as our first mission, I'll take a forward group to the Vaults, with backup following some distance behind us - remember, we do not know what's inside or how powerful it is. Our primary objective is reconnaissance. Find out as much as we can, draw a map of the place, locate Deep Roads entrances, that sort of thing. Reconvene here and decide what to do next."

Everyone nodded.

As people started rising from their seats, Anders signaled Antoine and Davrin to stay behind.

"Antoine, please stay here," Anders looked apologetic. "You've taken too much fighting lately, yes, I can see your wounds even with your clothes on. Are there any healers here besides me? Yes? So, what are you waiting for?" Antoine smirked and shook his head but didn't object. "Davrin, I'd like to ask you to stay behind as well," Anders turned to Davrin who raised an eyebrow. "Not to rest - to oversee the defense. We don't actually have enough Wardens to man all posts... so be creative. We do need to keep the Blight out of the Keep."

"Now, that is a real task," Davrin looked pleased. "As you say, Commander." Antoine smirked again but kept his remarks to himself. Everyone felt it was the endgame.

...

"Let me show you endless wonders of the Fade," a soft, distant voice was calling Neve to follow. "Dreams of spirits long gone, events preserved in memories, history itself, alive in our thoughts. Follow my voice - that is all I ask."

Neve was dreaming. Like every person's, her spirit traveled into the Fade, and like every mage, Neve was conscious in the Fade, even though she could not very well control her actions. It was like watching yourself from the sidelines. What harm could there be in following the voice? It was just a dream, anyway.

Neve walked through a mountain valley with Elven and Tevinter ruins visible here and there. "The Arlathan Forest," she thought, a part of Tevinter that was previously populated by elves, and now only housed small tribes of Dalish elves who avoided all contact with anyone else. When humans appeared in Thedas, they fought the elves in Arlathan Forest, defeated them and took over the land, forming Tevinter. There was a lot of death in Arlathan Forest... a lot of memories of death. Humans were said to have brought blood magic to Thedas, and it was that which allowed them to defeat the elves, and so blood magic formed the foundations of Tevinter. Of course, in modern days blood magic was outlawed, but mages like Neve knew their roots. She wasn't a blood mage, oh no, not in the vile sense that was attributed to it in modern times... but she was a Tevinter woman of noble descent, her family had magic running through them from times immemorial, she probably had ancestors among those first humans who came to Thedas and fought the elves... Tevinter used to be the largest and grandest Empire of Thedas - Tevinter was Thedas. And look at it now - reduced to being one of many, overshadowed by the Empire of Orlais, pushed aside by upstart states like Antiva, Rivain or Ferelden... Tevinter had to return to its former glory. Not by waging war on its neighbours but by restoring its majesty in magic, and clearing its name regarding some events from before the First Blight, events only preserved in the memories of the Fade. That was what the Venatori were all about, and that was why Neve had joined them and never left.

"Let me show you the truth about the elves," the voice was saying. It wasn't getting closer, it was just speaking from a distance as Neve walked through the valley of memories. "The elves used to be immortal," the voice continued. "Their immortality came from the Fade - the elves used to draw magic directly from the Fade. There was no Veil separating the Fade from Mundus, and the Arlathan Forest was both in the Fade and in Mundus at once."

"That makes sense, you know," Neve nodded. "Elven blood is much richer in magic than human. That is why we always prefer to bleed elves for blood magic rituals... Hmm... sorry... perhaps I should not have said that. Are you an elf?"

"I am an elf, yes," the voice answered with sadness. "You said it because it is true. Elven blood is richer in magic than human, and modern elves have lost themselves and turned into slaves... but do not blame Tevinter for that. Elves destroyed themselves already before humans arrived, and hence could be defeated."

"Destroyed themselves?" Neve stopped in surprise. "I've never heard about that!"

"No, the elves no longer remember... You may know that their collective memories are lost."

"I've heard them say that often enough," Neve agreed. "Who are you?"

"I am an elf who still remembers," the voice answered evasively. "We are immortal, like I said. Well, we used to be immortal. I remained in the Fade, and thus I still live. The others remained in Mundus, and when the Veil separating them from the Fade was put in place, they got cut off from the Fade and could only enter it in dreams... It wasn't enough... a miscalculation. That made them mortal and made them forget much of who they were."

"We have no records of there not being a Veil separating the Fade from Mundus, and I should think we would have known if it was ever missing," Neve mused. "Which would mean that the humans arrived after the Veil was put in place, and after the elves suffered that blow to their collective mind. Hmm... It does add up. But I am not sure I should believe you."

"What's the alternative?" The voice asked. "The other theory, that told by the Southern Chantry, is much worse."

"That Tevinter magisters single-handedly invented the Blight?" Neve smirked. "Oh yes, that's bad. And false, too."

"But how to prove it?"

"Yes, that is a problem," Neve had to admit, looking around. "Do you have any memories that could help? Any memories that could lead me to something tangible in our present time? I need tangible proof."

"Always an investigator," the voice said with a short laugh. "Oh yes, I can show you something... I can tell you even more... and I can guide you where you want to go. Follow me."

"What do you want in return?" Neve was still suspicious.

"Nothing," the voice replied. "Your actions will be my reward. Shall we get acquainted?" A figure of an elf materialised in front of her. "I am Solas, and this is my projection. I cannot appear in the flesh just now, but I promise you, it will be worth the wait."



~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Jan 21 2025, 12:36 AM

[Lena Wolf]

Morning Star, 3E411 - The truth about Tevinter

"This way, Neve," Solas was marching along a valley in Arlathan Forest dotted with ancient Elven and Tevinter ruins. It wasn't actually Solas in the flesh, it was only his projection, but Neve followed him nonetheless. She was in the Fade, she was dreaming. She had nothing to fear from a dream.

"Where are we going?" She asked with interest.

"There is a ruin just up ahead that I want to show you," Solas pointed out some turrets visible behind the trees. "There are living memories within, and you, as a mage, can experience them first hand. It isn't tangible proof yet, but it's a start."

"Alright, I am interested," Neve nodded. "We've got to start somewhere."

The ruin looked to be of a castle or possibly a temple, it was impossible to say but the architecture was rather grand, even in its badly destroyed state. Solas led Neve to the central chamber, now overgrown with vegetation. A faint mist was hanging in the air and Neve felt magic permeating every inch of the structure.

"Here," Solas stopped in the middle by what looked like old stone benches. "Come, let's sit down. Just relax and allow the memory unfold itself to you."

Neve did as he asked. She closed her eyes and immediately visions arose before her. She saw elves wearing robes of an ancient style; they were arguing. Neve couldn't quite catch what they were disagreeing about, but one of the elves looked familiar... Was that Solas? But yes, it was Solas! Only much, much younger. A thousand years younger or more.

"We must stand up to the oppressors," he was saying to the others. "Elves must not be slaves."

"That's a noble notion," one of the other elves was saying, "but we've been fighting the Evanuris for three centuries already, and look where it got us. We live among ruins. Our followers are wounded or dead. We ourselves will not last much longer. They will simply kill us all and that will be that, Solas! Elves will not be slaves, elves simply will no longer exist."

"Nonsense, we won't all be killed," Solas dismissed his argument, passion burning in his eyes. "We have strength and resilience - we have been fighting them for three hundred years! Another push is what we need!"

"We don't have people for another push," another elf shook his head. "We're done, Solas. Beaten."

The memory dissolved itself and Neve looked at Solas' projection next to her. He did not look particularly old, he looked ageless. If he was that ancient, it would fit.

"Yes, it was I in that memory," Solas smirked. "So many years ago... well before humans ever appeared in Thedas. Do you know who are the Evanuris?"

"Ancient elven gods," Neve gave him a long look. "Seven of them, I believe. We do have books about them."

"I am glad at least some knowledge got preserved," Solas smiled. "Yes, modern elves call them gods, and by modern standards they could be seen as gods, I suppose. But in those days... they were not gods, Neve, they were mages, not unlike the Upper Chamber of Tevinter Magisterium. They were particularly powerful mages who ruled over the people. They got greedy, started using the people to make themselves more powerful... Tevinter Magisters did not invent blood magic, Neve."

"I didn't think they did," Neve nodded. "Blood magic just exists. No one invented it, I recon. And more than one person discovered it, too."

"Quite," Solas nodded. "It is true however that those first humans used a lot of blood magic against the elves. But it is also true that the elves already had blood magic of their own... It isn't just a human sin."

"That's the kind of proof that I need!" Neve's eyes lit up. "But I need more than a memory..."

"I know," Solas smiled. "But memories are a start. The Arlathan Forest still exists in Mundus, you can find this very ruin there. There is no point in that however - it is empty. But there's proof elsewhere." He paused, looking at Neve with a withdrawn yet charming expression. "Come back tomorrow, Neve. Just go to sleep and I shall find you. There is a lot more that you need to understand in order to get that proof."

...

Neve could not wait for the next day to end so that she could go to sleep and meet Solas in the Fade again. They walked through the same valley in the Arlathan Forest, and Solas showed her more memories of the past. It was well over a thousand years ago, not long before humans arrived in Thedas. Solas was leading a rebellion against the Evanuris, against enslaving the elven people for the benefit of a few powerful mages. The markings that the elves wore on their faces and bodies, the same markings that modern Dalish elves wore with such reverence, were according to Solas the markings of slavery, and he wore no such tattoos. He showed Neve murals in the ruins depicting the elves removing such markings and becoming free...

"We had a symbol of our movement - the wolf," Solas explained the presence of wolf figurines and drawings around them. "We marked our locations with such carvings."

"This is the Dreadwolf," Neve gave him a long look. "Or at least, this is what modern elves make of it. These are statues of the Dreadwolf - Fen'Harel, the Trickster, the Elven God of Lies."

"It is so sad, but yes, this is how the Dalish remember us," Solas sighed. "Perhaps they see me as the Dreadwolf... But I am no god, I assure you. I am simply an elf who remembers the past, an elf who never left the Fade..." He paused, looking into the distance. "Of course, we were losing the war. There were too few of us with too many dead and wounded. My comrades were right, you know... but I was young and didn't see it. A God of Lies... They weren't lies, but things didn't work out as we were hoping." He sighed and paused again. "And then of course the humans arrived. They landed on our shores in their great ships. They had warriors and mages, and they had blood magic. They were powerful, no doubt. They wanted our lands. We resisted - we all resisted, with the Evanuris leading the push against the humans. But they had enslaved most elves by then, thus weakening them, add to that the elven civil war that had lasted for over three hundred years... As a nation, the elves were in no shape to resist an invasion. The humans won, although it was a hard and bloody victory. The elves were enslaved by the humans. The rest you know - everything except the invention of the Blight is more or less true."

"So, even weakened by the civil war and enslavement, the elves still put up a formidable defense," Neve nodded.

"Yes, that they did. Only it wasn't good enough."

"But the Veil?" Neve suddenly remembered that detail. "You said there was a time when there was no Veil separating the Fade from Mundus. But we have no records of that, so it was before humans arrived here. When was the Veil put up and why?"

"It was not long before humans arrived, indeed," Solas nodded. "I created it," he sighed and looked down. "It was a mistake. I aimed to lock away the Evanuris in the Fade and to leave the people in Mundus, thus protecting them from the Evanuris. My error was that I failed to realise that the Veil would destroy the elves themselves... Cutting them off from the Fade was what destroyed their memories, their immortality and their very nature."

Neve was shocked. This mage that sat next to her, had created the Veil all on his own? The Veil, which required immense power to pierce? She had difficulty believing that one mage, no matter how powerful, could create something as big and as strong, something that had been in place for over a thousand years at least, if Solas was to be believed. And another point... something didn't add up.

"That is impressive," Neve said carefully. "But explain this to me, Solas: how did the Evanuris direct the fight against humans if they were already locked away in the Fade? If the purpose was to separate them from the people, how could they still command them?"

"There were other powerful mages among the elves," Solas smiled. "I should have explained it better. The Evanuris had seven mages, and they were thoroughly evil. But we had another faction in the governing body, there were five of us at first, then fewer, but we were opposing the Evanuris. When I set up the Veil and locked away the actual Evanuris, we thought our troubles were over. Then the elven people started losing their memories and suffocating without the Fade, and I realised my miscalculation. Entering the Fade during sleep wasn't enough. But I didn't have the time to find a solution because soon after that the humans arrived. Then those of us who remained in Mundus, formed a new Evanuris to lead the war. And we failed again."

"I see," Neve said with regret. "This is a very sad story, I am so sorry for the elves," she sighed. "I can see now how it is that they found themselves so weakened."

She wanted to ask more questions but Solas got up, looking quite perturbed.

"Shall we continue this tomorrow?" He asked with a shy smile. "I am rather lost in those memories. Tomorrow we can talk about who invented the Blight."

Neve felt sorry for Solas and she agreed, also sensing that the topic of the Blight would be of the most benefit to her.

...

"Solas isn't telling the whole truth," Neve was going through her notes the following day - notes that she carefully recorded after waking up. "Several things don't add up. The story of the Veil is the most unbelievable of all," she decided. "But on the other hand, if he helps me find proof that Tevinter did not invent the Blight... that's worth a lot of woolly stories."

And so once again she waited for the evening with anticipation, and went to sleep hoping to meet Solas in the Fade.

"Hello, Neve," Solas greeted her in the valley. "Ready for more?" She nodded and he smiled. "Now we get to the bloody part: who invented the Blight? Was it invented? Did it always exist? When did the Golden City turn black?"

"The Southern Chantry preaches that it were Tevinter Magisters who entered the Fade, reached the Golden City and turned it black, thus inventing the Blight. It was their sinful strive for knowledge that did it. And I just think it's a load of lies," she said firmly. "But it does beg the question: when and why did The Maker abandon his seat at the Golden City? And did Tevinter Magisters ever venture there at all?"

"Indeed, very perceptive," Solas smiled. "The story is not entirely false. That is to say, it happened almost like that, except it were not Tevinter Magisters who entered the Golden City but the elves of the Evanuris. Thus it was they who started the Blight."

"What?!" Neve spun around. "But that changes everything! Do you have any proof?"

"Well, actually, Neve..." Solas gave her a long look. "Yes, I do."

The trap snapped shut and Neve was now hanging on Solas' every word. This was the proof she could not even hope to obtain! Ancient elven mages turning into Archdemons to lead the Blight! Ancient elven mages enslaving Tevinter Magisters through blood magic! Ancient elven mages were the root of all evil, and Tevinter was trying to resist! And, well, yes, they did enslave the elven people in the process, but bad things happen in war. The main thing was that Tevinter was not to be blamed for the Blight!!!

Neve wanted to know every detail, taking all Solas' words to be true. It was too tempting to do so - they told her exactly what she wanted to hear. And if there was proof of that too... then why question it? But Solas was in no rush to present her with such proof. Instead, he told her numerous stories from those times, and how much truth they held was of no importance because they were just anecdotes of times long past. For Neve however they formed the fabric of her new theory, and she picked them up eagerly and with pleasure. After several nights of stories Solas decided it was time to turn to action.

"I suppose you know that we are now living through another Blight," he said in a grave tone. "The worst one of them all."

"Yes, it is hard to miss," Neve nodded, also looking grim. "The Grey Wardens Head Quarters falling. The Wardens looking worried, and not because of that - they know how bad this Blight is, they can sense it. And there aren't that many of them left to fight it. This is bad."

"You know who leads them, yes?" Solas gave her a sideways look.

"Anders," Neve nodded. "A blood mage from Ferelden. I hear he punched the First Warden..." she grinned. "He's edgy and green somehow..."

"Anders is a problem," Solas nodded. "Not so much because of what he is but because there's no one better to lead the Wardens. The First Warden deserved to be punched, I have no doubt. The Wardens have gone soft, except in Ferelden where they just had the Fifth Blight only ten years ago. So Anders leading them now is not a surprise, but only a disappointment."

"I wanted to help him," Neve said. "It's like you say - regardless of whether I like Anders or not, the Blight is too grave a matter to ignore. But they kicked me out! So it's their loss."

"This Blight is led by two of the Evanuris," Solas said with emphasis. "Not just one - two! The last two. One of them actually invented the original Blight."

"What?!" Neve spun around. "So Blight was invented? Created? Engineered????"

"Exactly," Solas nodded. "I am not entirely certain what she had planned for it, or whether she planned anything in particular or was just playing, so to speak... but she created it and released it into Mundus."

"How?"

"That's where manipulating Tevinter Magisters through blood magic comes in," Solas smiled. "They entered the Fade, thus opening a portal in the Veil and allowing the Blight to escape."

"Ah-ha!!!"

"Indeed," Solas watched Neve almost glow with pride and pleasure of such a discovery. "And the proof of all of this coincides with defeating this Blight: when the two remaining Evanuris lie dead, everything will become clear to all."

"Yes!!!" Neve was jubilant. This was far better than she could ever hope for. And it coincided with the most noble deed of them all - defeating the Blight. "So what do I do?"

If Solas was jubilant hearing her say that, he didn't show it. Instead, he smiled a most charming smile and snapped his fingers, teleporting them to another part of the Fade. It was empty and barren, but it was no longer a projection of Solas that stood before Neve. Now it was the actual Solas. An invisible wall separated him from her, but they were close and she could sense that he was real.

"This is where Anders and his stupidity got me to," he said with derision. "This is a prison I built for the remaining Evanuris but Anders interfered with my ritual that would have seen them locked away here for good. This prison is secure - I did not miscalculate it this time! Which means I cannot get out!" He looked angry and annoyed. "Not yet, anyway. The prison will be dissolved when they are dead."

"But we still need Grey Wardens to fight darkspawn," Neve said with doubt. "I don't like Anders either, but what can we do?"

"We need Grey Wardens, agreed," Solas smiled. "And I have been trying to help him! Even despite everything! Defeating the Blight is more important, like you say. They managed to kill the Archdemon that maintained immortality of one of the two Evanuris. Killing the mage herself won't be easy, but at least it is now possible. They know they have to kill the other Archdemon before they can get to the other mage. I trust they can do that. It is the actual killing of the mages that I'm not so sure they can be entrusted with. You, on the other hand..."

"I..?" Neve took a step back. "You want me to kill two ancient elven mages, so powerful that one of them invented the Blight?" She smirked. "There's flattery and there's gross exaggeration, Solas."

"I would never ask you such a thing, you misunderstand," he smiled. "What I mean is that Grey Wardens and the other followers of Anders need to be directed, they need to be made to work together to kill those two elven mages, and I believe that you can bring them together much better than Anders ever could. That is all."

"Hmm..." Neve rubbed her chin, looking at Solas with suspicion. "And how would I do that? They kicked me out."

"They are not all that devoted to Anders, you know. They follow him because they want to get to the Blight," Solas looked slyly at her. "If they see a better leader, they'll switch. You just need to show them you are the better leader."

Neve didn't like what Solas was suggesting, her gut was telling her it was a trap. But it was oh so tempting on so many levels. Defeat the Blight. She, Neve Gallus, would lead Grey Wardens against the Blight. She would get the proof that Tevinter was wrongly blamed for it for over a thousand years. She would single-handedly deliver Tevinter into a new era of respect and prosperity... Why, that would get her a seat at the Magisterium, no doubt. And then she would show this Dorian Pavus how things are done! Blood magic will no longer be banned. Elves will remain enslaved. Tevinter will rise from the ruins and outshine every other country in Thedas, as was its right! And she, Neve Gallus...

Neve made an effort and snapped out of her reverie.

"Very well," she finally said. "What is my first step?"

[Lena Wolf]

Morning Star, 3E411 - A man and his cat

"You don't know anything of this, do you? Little Pounce-a-lot," Anders was sitting on a snow-covered rock overlooking a valley in the Anderfels. A little black and white kitten was playing with a toy he made, rolling around on his lap. "Look at all this snow," he gazed down the valley. "I've always liked snow... always missed it in Ferelden. Always felt at home at the Soldier's Peak... may be it was thanks to the snow." The kitten finally got the toy and was now looking at Anders with those big milky blue eyes - do it again! "Let the game continue, eh?" Anders smiled. "The same as with us... only I've had quite enough of that one already..." He flicked his wrist letting the toy levitate just above the kitten, always remaining slightly out of reach. "Exactly like with us... no, that's no fun. You have to be able to get it... Here... try again." He reduced the distance between the toy and the kitten. The kitten jumped and missed, but now it stood a chance of catching it and Anders smiled. "That's better. You'll get it, little one."

Anders rolled up his sleeves and examined his forearms. Most scars were still bleeding slightly. He'd been using blood to power his magic every day for the past week, and he started feeling the strain. His blood reserves weren't unlimited, there was not enough time to recover... And what did it get them? Several large blighted boils destroyed, true, but there seemed to be no end to them, with their tentacles leading deeper and deeper into the earth. It weren't Deep Roads, these were caves, dark and damp, and wrong somehow. "Those caves go into the Fade," Anders thought. "If Solas told the truth and the elven goddess that invented the Blight is indeed a goddess in the sense that she can walk in Mundus as well as in the Fade... well then, perhaps her Blight can do it too. Perhaps it's a portal... or perhaps the Fade leaks into Mundus... is that even possible? It is, I suppose..."

He rolled down his sleeves and shivered - the loss of blood was making him chilly. He had been careful to keep back the Wardens and avoid losing any of them to the fights with blighted boils. His team of non-Wardens was all too happy to help, they've been yearning for real action, and they were getting it now. "Not unlike new Wardens," he smirked. "At first darkspawn is exciting... exotic... but the novelty soon wears off, and you never get used to the stench."

Despite their successes against that blighted demonic growth, Anders felt like it was a trap tightening around them. They had to find the second Archdemon to make it possible to kill the other elven mage, but none of the Grey Wardens could sense it clearly enough to locate. This Blight was different indeed - it was toying with them. He was becoming more and more convinced that going after the blighted boils was a false track. He had been coming to that spot for a few days already, sitting outside the main Keep overlooking the valley, with all the snow spread before him... the serenity of it calmed his spirit and allowed him to think, to form a plan for the following day. But now he realised that the plans were unchanging, and not leading anywhere in particular. The cold was embracing him, and he let it, allowing the chill to still the fever of his spirit... He was such a mess! "Look at me, sitting here, wallowing in emotion like a schoolgirl or something," he smirked. "A leader is not supposed to get emotional, is he? A leader is supposed to stay calm and composed under any circumstances... to keep a cool head... to know what to do..." He stroked the kitten who tired of playing and was now curled up in the folds of his robe, ready to fall asleep. "A leader does not play with kittens. The Wardens were right all along." He shook his head, just saying this did not make him want to remove his little furry friend. No, he was no leader. He was Anders, the one mage who always made a mess.

"Frost magic..." Anders opened his hand and a flurry of snowflakes rose from it. "That's what I should have focused on. Not blood, not lightning... frost. You don't even need blood to power a blizzard... you just need determination. Remain calm, purge all emotion and cast your spell. While I... flashbacks of Justice are good for a storm, yes, but the power still has to come from blood... or lyrium... which we haven't got... so, blood..." He sighed and shook his head. "And that leaves my own spirit perturbed and feverish, ready for another storm or inferno... Until one day I burn up in it..." He checked his scars under the sleeves again. "The bleeding stopped... but tomorrow I'll cut them again... and again... the pain brings pleasure now... the pain..."

Snowflakes were falling on his bare arms and not melting, but he didn't feel the cold. The kitten on his lap crawled deeper into the folds of his robe, trying to keep warm. Anders turned his face to the sky, letting the snowflakes cover it too. "The pain..." He let his mental gaze wander over his life. "I am not gay... and yet... how many men have I let convince themselves otherwise? I was seeking pain... Women were for pleasure, men were for pain... The pain that makes me forget the other pain that is greater..." The cold wasn't calming the fever in his chest, so he opened up his robes, dropping them off the shoulders while still keeping warm the kitten on his lap. The snowflakes were now falling onto his neck and arms, blotting out the ink of his tattoos. "The pain of the spirit... Always walking the edge... A spirit that is never at rest... Am I possessed by a demon? That would be an easy way out... no... this spirit is my own... Justice sought to calm it and couldn't, he couldn't even blot it out... that's why we clashed..." Anders pulled his arms out of the robe completely, leaving his entire torso exposed to the falling snow. The kitten nestled deep in the folds of his robe still covering his groin. "You found the one place that's warmest," Anders smiled. "My little friend. I'll keep you warm, never fear." A healer, he would give all of himself to keep his charge alive. Time and again he would collapse when the treatment was over, and time and again no one would come to his aid, the patient simply walking away, leaving a few coppers behind... He didn't do it for money, he could always earn his keep, enough men were keen to pay for what he let them do. Kirkwall's Dust Town took it all, giving nothing in return apart from a chance to prolong one's existence, for it could not be called a life...

"Wolf found me there," Anders smirked to the memory. "He knew where to look. Wolf... where are you, my friend? Has your spirit found peace at last..?"

Anders' blond hair was now completely covered in snow that would not melt. His chest and arm tattoos were barely visible, his skin looked pale, almost blending with the snow in colour. His robe was gathered around his groin keeping a little kitten safe and warm inside it.

"Ahhh..." He sighed. "Yet the fever never stops... Apart from may be when I..." He smiled, falling back onto the snow. "When I finally find peace..."

[Renee]

Antaloor, so this is Two Worlds, correct? Yet another game I've been curious about for years...

http://chorrol.com/forums/index.php?s=&...st&p=341015

[Lena Wolf]

Antaloor, so this is Two Worlds, correct? Yet another game I've been curious about for years...

This is Two Worlds II, although Antaloor is also the setting of Two Worlds I.

[Lena Wolf]

Morning Star, 3E411 - The cold within

When Anders did not return to the Keep by the time everyone went to bed, Lucanis started getting worried. Anders had been going out every night since they settled there, but he always returned calmed and with a plan for the following day, and Lucanis decided that he simply wanted to be alone to think, and so he left him alone. "But this is getting too late," he thought, looking out of the window over the snow-covered valley. A nagging feeling rose in him and he decided to break Anders' privacy and go looking for him.

The night was dark as the snow clouds were blotting out the stars and the moon, and Lucanis took a lamp with him. He walked around the Keep but saw nothing, realising that the light of the lamp was making it impossible to see anything outside of its circle, and he needed to see far rather than close. He doused the lamp and hoped he would not go head over heels off a cliff when he'd stumble on a rock he could not see.

Lucanis was walking in ever wider circles around the Keep, still not finding Anders anywhere. Had he gone into a cave? Did he hide in a crevice? Somehow he felt that none of it was the case. No, Anders loved snow. He would not want to waste such a peaceful snowfall, he would be out there, in the middle of it... "Getting snowed under," Lucanis shook his head.

At some point he heard a small sound like a young animal calling to him, he followed it and discovered a mage's robe in a high pile in the snow with a kitten inside it. Underneath the robe was Anders, completely buried, his body bare against the snow. "Let's get you home." Lucanis brushed off the snow, draped the robe around Anders with the kitten still hiding in it, and carried Anders back to the Keep.

...

"Hypothermia," Dorian examined Anders when Lucanis brought him back. "Something he's quite familiar with, I believe," he shook his head. "He's not dead, but he will be unless we warm him up."

It was something they could fix, a bath tub was brought up, water warmed, fire made in the grate. Enough people in the Keep knew how to treat it, but Lucanis was reluctant to make Anders' condition known too widely. Of course, he could not keep it a secret in a place like that, but there was no need to shout from the rooftops about it either. He called Dorian and Antoine, and they decided to keep it between them.

...

"I understand why you like the snow," Lucanis was sitting next to the bath tub talking to Anders even though Anders was unconscious in it. Lucanis was mostly making sure he would not fall asleep - the water temperature had to be kept constant and he was checking it every now and again and warming it up. Coffee aroma was filling the room. "The snow cools you down, I know," he was saying in Antivan, not bothering with the common tongue since Anders couldn't hear him anyway. "It's such a peculiar thing - snow," he shook his head. "Of course we don't have it in Antiva, but I've traveled enough to know what it is..." he smirked to himself. "It covers you like a blanket... people in the Anderfels even build houses out of it... and keep warm inside... which is why I don't understand why you got all cold like that..." He stroked Anders' face noting that it felt slightly warmer than before. The bath seemed to be working. "We'll get to the bottom of it... but first you need to warm up."

There was a knock on the door and Dorian entered.

"The bath seems to be working," he nodded approvingly, having examined Anders' condition. "You wouldn't notice it probably, but I can see the change in colour quite clearly - he is now slightly pink rather than completely white like before. And there is no necrosis anywhere."

"He's still unconscious though," Lucanis sighed. "Or am I being impatient?"

"You are, give him time," Dorian smiled. "He was so thoroughly chilled... seems strange in this weather..."

"That's what I was thinking as well," Lucanis looked up. "But he did pull down his robe... may be it's that?"

"May be... but something isn't right," Dorian shook his head with concern. "We can leave it for later though. Either way, he first needs to warm up." He sat down on a stool at the other side of the bath tub, looking into Anders' face. "He is so intense... I've never met anyone quite like him. I hadn't realised the depth of his intensity until he asked me for... well... I suppose you know... he asked me for sex so that he could change his mind about sex with men..."

"He said you were the only man he knew whom he could trust to do it properly," Lucanis nodded. "Meaning - with love and care."

"That hadn't been his experience till then, no," Dorian agreed. "Although of course I'm not the only man who doesn't just... well. You know what I mean." He sighed. "But he... that intensity... it's like the Fade itself is inside him."

"And in a way, it is," Lucanis rubbed his chest. "I kind of know what it's like..."

"Oh... Justice... Spite, with you," Dorian looked up. "But... forgive me... but you don't seem quite like him in that respect."

"I am not," Lucanis nodded. "Spite - Determination - is not like Justice. But it's his own spirit. I think he was like that already before Justice. Always walking the edge."

They sat in silence for a while, then Dorian got up and left, and Lucanis resumed his vigil of checking the water and making sure the temperature was exactly right.

...

"You are the opposite of me in so many ways," Lucanis switched back to Antivan, talking to Anders again. "I am all about preparation, deliberation, calculation and then fast execution... study the target, prepare the ground, go for the kill. I get into difficulties when things drag on... of course I have the skill to survive... but yours is a different way. Take it one step at a time, maintain status quo, give it your all, hold nothing back... then stop, regroup, heal, resume... Your opponent cannot be studied, your target is always moving... be it darkspawn or disease, you treat it the same... a warrior and a healer in one..." Anders twitched and Lucanis stopped talking. Was Anders finally waking up? A few minutes passed, but he was still unconscious. Lucanis sighed and checked the water - it was time for a warm-up.

The night turned into morning, but Anders was still the same. His colour improved and Dorian was satisfied with the progress, assuring Lucanis that he just needed more time. He offered to take over but Lucanis refused, simply making more coffee.

"You should be awake by now, I'm certain of it," Lucanis too had an idea how to treat hypothermia. "Your skin is pink, your cheeks are warm..." He checked again to be sure. "So, what's keeping you away?" He brushed his cheek against Anders', not trusting his hand to catch a subtle change in temperature, but no, Anders was warm. Another check with his lips... then a kiss... slight at first, but then... there was a reply...

...

"It isn't supposed to work like that," Lucanis smiled a few minutes later. "It only works like that in fairy tales, and you aren't even a princess."

"I've been awake for a while already," Anders grinned. "I did not understand everything you said... but my Antivan is a lot better now than it was yesterday."

"You've been naughty," Lucanis smirked. "I was starting to worry."

"I was waiting for the kiss..."

...

A few hours later Lucanis called Dorian to tell him that Anders finally woke up. It was late afternoon and the Keep was buzzing with conversations about Anders and whatever happened to him. There was no way to keep a secret in a place like that.

"That snow wasn't completely natural," Anders was telling the people who gathered to discuss the situation in earnest. "I went out for a bit of peace and quiet to think over our next steps like I've done the previous days, and it was snowing, but there was more to it than just the weather."

"Frost magic?" Dorian looked up. "You seemed to be chilled from the inside in addition to hypothermia."

"I suspect a frost mage weaving enchantments into the snow, yes," Anders nodded. "Very skillfully done. I didn't notice anything until it was too late."

"Neve Gallus committing a murder?" Dorian exclaimed angrily.

"If so, this is my cue," Lucanis grew somber.

"No, wait," Emmrich shook his head. "We need to know who she's working for. And what was the point of killing Anders. The threat of the Blight remains, without Anders, without Grey Wardens, this world will end, and Neve must see that. We have to understand what she is trying to achieve."

...

"Anders is dead," Neve met Solas in the Fade again. "He will never wake up from that hypothermia."

"Anders is not dead," Solas shook his head. "He was rescued. But it's just as well, even better, in fact. Everyone has seen his weakness now - he is not a good leader. It's time to show them what a good leader should be like."

"Alright, what's your plan?" Neve squinted. It had been Solas' idea to mix frost magic with the natural cold and let Anders succumb to it when he was alone. He wasn't supposed to be rescued, but it seemed he had some friends after all. It did not matter, a few friends would not make any difference. Solas' advice so far had been solid, and Neve was ready to take the next step.

"Now you lead them to the second Archdemon," Solas smiled. "All Grey Wardens can sense that there is one, but they are confused and cannot locate it. The Archdemon is masked, Grey Warden blood was used on it and it confuses their senses. You, on the other hand, will know exactly where it is. You will lead them there and they will kill it."

"You make it sound too easy," Neve was being cautious. "There must be a catch."

"Well... it won't be easy to do," Solas admitted. "I shall tell you where the Archdemon is because I can locate it, but it is in the Fade, and most Grey Wardens are warriors - they are not comfortable being in the Fade. Most mages are not comfortable with it either, for that matter. You will need to rally them and make them reach their goal. Once they see the Archdemon, they will attack, never fear, but you need to get them there."

"Why are you not telling Anders about this?" Neve was still unconvinced. "You've helped him before, and he is the actual leader of Grey Wardens, good or not so good, but they follow him. Why have you let him go in circles fighting blighted growth instead of going straight for the Archdemon?"

"That blighted growth had to be removed to clear the way into the Fade," Solas objected. "It was not pointless and I have not led him astray. I could tell him about the Archdemon now, yes... but I don't want to. Someone will need to lead Grey Wardens to the Archdemon, and I want it to be you, not him."

Neve felt that Solas would not say any more. Whatever his real plan and intentions were, he was not showing her anything beyond what she needed to see. She did not like it, her gut was screaming of danger. But what choice did she have? Walk away from a chance to change history and carve a place for herself in it? Return to Minrathous Dock Town and her little apartment on the roof where she couldn't even get to comfortably, now that she had a prosthetic leg? Every prospect she could think of, was dreary. What Solas was offering was worth the risk.

"Well... I suppose I can trust you on this," she finally agreed. "Where is that Archdemon?"

[Renee]

This is Two Worlds II, although Antaloor is also the setting of Two Worlds I.

Ah, I see. Interesting that Hauk does that chapter on his own.

[Lena Wolf]

This is Two Worlds II, although Antaloor is also the setting of Two Worlds I.

Ah, I see. Interesting that Hauk does that chapter on his own.

There's a reason for that... Not saying anything else... Nope, nope...

[Lena Wolf]

Morning Star, 3E411 - Bonds of the past

"It isn't supposed to work like that and you aren't even a princess," Lucanis smiled when Anders finally woke up from his hypothermia-induced unconscious state responding to Lucanis' kiss.

"I've been awake for some time already," Anders smiled back. "I was waiting for the kiss."

"Well, alright, get out of the bath tub then," Lucanis handed him a towel. "Since you say you're awake..."

He walked over to the door and locked it, then started undressing.

"What are you doing?" Anders looked up in surprise from under his towel.

"I haven't slept the night, I need some rest," Lucanis shrugged. "As do you."

"Umm..." Anders finished drying himself off and threw the towel aside. "If you say so."

Lucanis added some logs to the fire and came close, taking Anders in an embrace, then lifting him up.

"I can walk!" Anders protested.

"I carried you from that snowed-under hill all the way to here, I can carry you a few more paces," Lucanis shook his head. "Shush."

He carried him to the bed and put him down gently, then got into bed too.

"You had me worried," he said, starting a languid, deliberate kiss. "Que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte después..." The song they danced to in Treviso played in their heads, the danger of losing each other staring them in the face.

Lucanis moved closer, sliding between Anders' legs and pushing Anders on his back. His breathing deepened, while Anders halted his for a moment, then exhaled sharply.

"Finally," he whispered.

"No more holding back," Lucanis smiled, starting to move. "Mathilda will no longer stand between us."

It was the first time that Lucanis took the lead. Until then he only accepted what Anders offered, remaining passive, as if preserving himself for someone else. And in fact he was - Mathilda was never far away from his thoughts. But during the night when Anders was lying unconscious in a bath of lukewarm water, Lucanis had the time to take a close look at his feelings.

When Mathilda got married over twenty five years ago, Lucanis thought that it closed a chapter in his life - that in which he loved Mathilda deeply and passionately, so deeply that he did not want to endanger her life by marrying her, and so he let her go. She accepted his sacrifice, not even asking him to reconsider. They haven't spoken since, and thus she remained in his memory exactly as she was the last time they spent the night together, in all her charm and beauty.

Mathilda's marriage did not bring her children but instead it brought her wealth and standing, and when her husband was eventually assassinated by the Crows, everyone thought she had been the contract giver. Everyone thought too that a wedding between her and Lucanis would take place immediately after the end of her mourning term... but it didn't happen. Lucanis watched Mathilda from the sidelines, still not even exchanging a word with her. No one dared to broach the topic with him, and after a while people stopped talking about it. Perhaps he didn't love her anymore.

Nothing could be further from the truth, however. Lucanis still loved Mathilda as passionately as ever, but the woman that came to him in his dreams was not the middle-aged widow of a rich nobleman - it was the woman from his youth. It wasn't the years or the grey in her hair that kept him back, it was her demeanour, her manner, her speech - everything that made up her outward personality seemed to have changed, and Lucanis feared that the inner core might have changed as well. He feared to discover that the woman he loved no longer existed.

Lucanis never meant to become involved with a man; what happened with Anders took him completely by surprise. He put it down to his unwillingness to accept any woman to replace Mathilda - Anders was not a woman, and thus posed no threat to his love. Anders was his accidental rescuer, having helped him to escape from the underwater prison. Anders was his healer and the man that stood between him and death, not letting him commit suicide by ripping up the stitches that he kept putting back in. Anders was insufferably stubborn and didn't think that being an abomination was such a big deal, having gone through it himself. Anders was emotional, impulsive, reckless and abrupt, and he'd never give up on him even if he had to bleed himself to death for that... Anders held nothing back. Anders was everything Lucanis was not.

The first time Lucanis kissed him, it was out of spite. He couldn't quite explain to himself how that figured, but that was what he felt. It was impulsive and reckless... but Anders was neither a target nor a client, so there was no need to hold back.

Anders always walked the edge... and that was where they met. Lucanis' passion was not reserved exclusively for Mathilda, he discovered. This blond blood mage took him to Ferelden, they met people with remarkably open views and attitudes... people that loved the other Antivan despite all the controversy around him, which was nothing compared to the controversy around themselves. Ferelden Grey Wardens outshone every tall tale that Lucanis had heard about them and didn't believe.

Anders fought darkspawn "like a bleeding Archdemon", as someone put it. Lucanis had never fought alongside Grey Wardens before and had hardly ever seen darkspawn. Facing it in great numbers for the first time took every bit of his courage just not to run away screaming. He then understood where Conscription Ale came from - that terror kept haunting his dreams, and that must have been nothing compared to facing an Archdemon in your sleep as every Grey Warden did... When Anders would wake up shaking in the middle of the night and take a long swig of his Conscription Ale, Lucanis only wondered how he could stand it. But Anders would shrug and smile, although rarely return to bed after such a dream.

Lucanis enjoyed toying with the idea of a gay relationship - it was all nonsense, he was not gay, and Anders was just a friend... They shared a bed, but nothing ever happened, apart from an occasional kiss which Lucanis could neither explain nor justify to himself. He wanted to kiss him and he did... that was it. Not questioning or analysing it was new to him but he didn't question or analyse that either.

Being a bait was new to Lucanis as well. Going to The Gay Vint with Anders, putting himself on display, making a show of it even, all with the hope of being led into a deadly trap... the audacity of it was exhilarating. And there, dancing the tango, Lucanis realised that he wanted more than an occasional kiss. He would let this mage come close... he would let him in. And when Zara lay dead, he did.

"And that is why you chose a man..." He recalled his grandmother's words later. A man was no replacement for Mathilda, his love was still safe.

"Teia felt it," Lucanis was thinking of the evening in Treviso. "She was urging me to speak to Mathilda again, to bring her back into my life... and I resisted. Perhaps I had already made up my mind by then..." He stroked Anders' hair pretending to himself to be checking his temperature. "Ridiculous," he smirked. "Whom am I fooling?"

His beautiful Anders, his emotional lover, impulsive, reckless and abrupt, was lying near-dead in a bath of lukewarm water... and there wasn't much else that Lucanis could do but to keep the water lukewarm...

...

Lucanis pulled out and rolled over to his side, taking Anders in a whole-body embrace.

"Did I hurt you? Why are you crying?" He kissed away the tears from Anders' face.

"I am happy," Anders smiled. "This is the first time..."

"I know... it took me long enough," Lucanis looked apologetic. "But Mathilda's ghost is now gone, it no longer rules over me..."

"I think Spite kicked it out," Anders laughed.

"Not Spite... you did. I love you. This is the real thing, the other love was but a memory..."

"Luca... No more suicides, promise me!" He looked him in the eye, growing serious. "I know what you did to my stitches, I am not that bad of a healer," he smirked. "If you want death... if you really want death... just ask."

"I made peace with my spirits, I no longer want death," Lucanis answered equally seriously. "And I must ask the same of you. If you wish to die in the snow, please tell me."

Anders smiled and kissed him in response.

"No," he shook his head. "But Amaya will be disappointed."

"Amaya? Who..?" Lucanis pulled back in surprise. "Oh... the girl at the Soldier's Peak," he recalled.

"Amaya is thirteen years old," Anders said angrily. "Yet she comes in making demands on me! Flattering at first, for sure, but come to think of it, what am I supposed to do? She has no claim on me!"

"No?" Lucanis was finding Anders' anger amusing. "You are surprised she has a crush on the one man who pulled her through every life-threatening crisis she can remember and a few she can't, including her very birth?"

"I am a healer, that's what I do," Anders looked confused. "I delivered so many children..."

"I know, and now you've got one with a crush on you," Lucanis said soothingly. "Why did you tell her to wait ten years? Surely, she will become a woman before she turns twenty three!"

"And I hope she won't wait for me to usher her into womanhood," Anders nodded. "That's why. I hope nature will proclaim itself and she will grow up as a normal teenager..."

"...and find herself someone else to love?" Lucanis finished his sentence. "But why, Anders? She's a lovely girl..."

"Amaya is a child," Anders shook his head. "I fear she will always remain a child to me. And anyhow, in ten years I shall be an old Warden ready to die in the Deep Roads, not take on a young wife! I could never give her children either... I mustn't, even if I could..."

"Because of the taint?"

"The Blight... yeah..."

Lucanis stroked his face and kissed him.

"You should tell her that," he said softly. "Without waiting ten years."

"You should have talked to Mathilda," Anders frowned.

"I should have," Lucanis agreed, surprising himself. "I have a feeling I shall have to, and not at a time of my choosing... but I know what to say. It's been too long, we've made our choices... she made her choices, too. And now I've made mine. I have a Warden to protect." He smiled and kissed him. "From the cold hiding inside the snow."

To their surprise, spirit wings appeared at Lucanis' back, wrapping around them like a cocoon.

[Renee]

There's a reason for that... Not saying anything else... Nope, nope...

Ha ha okay!

[Lena Wolf]

Morning Star, 3E411 - A double agent

When the following morning there was a knock on the door, neither Anders nor Lucanis were out of bed yet.

"Hmm?" Anders was still half asleep. "What time is it? Oh, come in!"

The door opened and shut quickly and Harding slipped into the room, making sure that no one saw her come in.

"Are you awake? I hope you're awake, it's awfully early!" She said in a hushed voice, approaching the bed. "Come on, wake up, it's important!"

"What's up, Lace?" Anders sat up. "You're all flustered... What's wrong?"

"Nothing yet..." Harding looked over her shoulder as if expecting someone to have slipped into the room after her. "But I've heard things... You should call Alistair in. It's time Ferelden Wardens made an appearance."

"This sounds serious, I'll make coffee," Lucanis decided, getting out of bed.

"Oh my..." Harding took a step back and grinned. "You're... not wearing much."

"So you get to see all my man parts," Lucanis grinned back. "But I must warn you - I'm already spoken for."

"Cut it out and tell us what's wrong," Anders frowned, also getting out of bed. "Come on now, you woke us up." Then, turning to Lucanis, he added: "Luca, make tea for Harding, she doesn't like coffee."

"Doesn't like coffee but rather enjoys seeing two men naked," Lucanis smirked. "At your service." He handed Harding a cup of tea which she accepted without taking her eyes off the two naked men before her.

"Now, speak!" Anders was getting cross, he hated being woken up early.

"Err... oh, right." Harding redressed herself. "Something is up. Varric is calling you names again."

"Scheisszwerg," Anders swore. "Is that all?"

"No... he's also suggesting you should be dismissed," Harding shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "That you cannot lead Grey Wardens. That Davrin should take over."

"Aha," Anders rubbed his face, trying to finally wake up. "So I'll just leave then, shall I? I never wanted to lead this mad party in the first place! But he insisted... what got into him now?"

"He's still sore after you called him that nickname in public," Harding looked up. "It is... well..."

"I know what it is, it's in my language!" Anders exploded. "Blöde Scheiße! I've had enough of him, I swear!"

"He says he's got a replacement for you..." Harding was watching Anders pace the room, the ink of his Grey Warden tattoos contrasting with his pale skin. "Is your ink glowing?" She suddenly asked.

"Yeah... I'm angry... my magic boils when I'm angry..." He turned to her abruptly. "What replacement?"

"I don't know," Harding said slowly. "But he's been saying that he found someone who knows how to find the remaining Archdemon and that Davrin could lead the Wardens to it."

"Neve," Lucanis hissed through his teeth.

"And how would she know it?" Anders stopped and took a deep breath, dimming the glow of his tattoos. "She is not a Grey Warden, and even we cannot locate it."

"May be she had help?" Harding suggested. "If Varric indeed means her, that is."

"The only person who can locate that Archdemon is Solas," Anders finally calmed down. "Besides the two elven gods, that is. And Solas hasn't been talking to me for a while now... of course, I haven't exactly gone out of my way to reach him..."

"If Solas is really Fen'Harel, he could have double-crossed you," Lucanis pointed out.

"Yeah... very likely," Anders agreed. "And he cannot leave his prison in the Fade, so he cannot turn up here himself... so he sends a proxy," Anders nodded. "That fits. But why does he want me dead?"

"Because you don't trust him, perhaps?" Harding offered. "He's sure to have his own plan with respect to those gods, and you are too unreliable for him."

"We should call Alistair, you're right," Anders sat down and picked up his coffee again. "It'll take them a week to get here... by that time the party should be in full swing." Then, turning to Lucanis, he called: "Spite! Determination! Show yourself."

A spirit copy of Lucanis materialised in the room and Harding shivered.

"I'll never get used to this..." she sighed. "Has he been listening in all the while? Why is he fully dressed?"

"Two naked men not enough for you, eh?" Lucanis smirked. "This is what I was wearing when Zara forced The Spirit of Determination into me. He got this as his human form. Not naked, sorry."

"I shall contact Avernus," Spite hissed. "He will call Alistair. And yes - Solas got Neve to intervene, she tried to kill you," he turned to Anders. "I was watching... you would not have died... but he didn't need my help..." he jerked his head towards Lucanis. "I try not to interfere... unless I have to..."

"Do you know where that Archdemon is?" Anders asked.

"No... Solas keeps me out... Solas is powerful but stuck at the moment. But still, he shields himself from other spirits..."

"Other spirits? Solas is a spirit???" Anders jumped up.

"Spirit and man both," Spite nodded. "Walks in the Fade, walks in Mundus. Ancient elves were like that... still are... the gods are like that..."

"And the Archdemon presumably also," Anders nodded. "In which case..." he smirked, realising something. "I know where it is. The Archdemon is in the Fade."

"That's a start," Harding smiled. "And how do we find that Archdemon in the Fade?"

"Umm... we follow Neve, perhaps?" He smiled slyly. "Bring darling Neve here, receive her with tea and cakes, let that Scheisszwerg make her the queen of the party... Let Davrin lead the Wardens... he won't see where he's going from behind his bloated ego..."

"You will need an agent in this forward party," Harding smiled.

"Indeed," Anders got up and started putting on clothes. "A double agent. Harding, you are with them. You hate and detest me, now that you've seen me naked... literally and figuratively, after that stunt in the snow..."

"I've seen you naked before though," Harding smirked. "But I get you. We want to know all there is to know... leave it to me."

"I hope Dorian is awake," Anders put his hand on the door handle. "I'll bring him here. I'm wanting sex again, see..." he winked. "That's my line. We need to find out who's with us and who is not."

"And the Wardens?" Lucanis looked up, also getting dressed.

"The Wardens don't really care. I am not a Commander, and neither is Davrin. The lead is temporary. The Wardens will follow whoever knows where they are going."

They nodded to each other and Anders left the room, followed by Harding shortly afterwards. The game was on.

...

Anders was making a show of himself. He was acting much more rowdy than usual, emphasizing his sexual desires and downplaying everything else. People who trusted him, believed it was an act; people who were looking for an excuse to berate him, got what they wanted. The Wardens sensed him better than non-Wardens and did not worry. He could be affected by the Blight or he could simply be drunk, both were common and deserved no further consideration. The first darkspawn appearing would set him straight again.

Neve appeared at the Keep a day later, having received an invitation from Varric who was leading the opposition. Neve claimed to know where the Archdemon was, and she would lead the Wardens to it. Davrin named himself Commander and ordered Anders to be locked up in the dungeons, but no one was going to do that. He was therefore left with glaring at Anders every time their paths crossed.

Dorian was spending his nights with Anders and Lucanis, and Anders made sure everyone knew why... in reality however they were preparing for action.

"Emmrich is with us," Dorian was saying. "He sees through your ruse, Anders," he smiled. "He also sees that Neve is acting on the orders of Solas, and he does not trust it. But Emmrich is not a spy - Varric doesn't trust him and so Emmrich cannot help us with information. But when the time for fighting comes, we shall be glad to have him on our side."

"Emmrich is a powerful mage, agreed," Anders nodded. "We've got a spy already... it's fine."

"Bellara is with Varric," Dorian continued. "Perhaps you should have worked harder on her when you had the chance," he smirked. "She has some potent magic, I'd rather not face her in battle."

"Are we going to fight them?" Lucanis looked up.

"I hope not," Anders sighed. "I hope this is just rivalry. After all, we all want the same thing - defeat the Blight."

"Yes, but Neve also wants to defeat Dorian," Lucanis pointed out. "With words, if not on the battlefield. That much is obvious."

"I wonder what Solas promised her... Hmm..." Dorian mused. "That she would be the one to usher Tevinter into a new era of prosperity? If she can prove that we didn't corrupt the Golden City but that ancient elves did it... That's every Venatori's dream. She would certainly get a seat at the Magisterium for it."

"She will not live to make use of it though," Lucanis said darkly. "I have a contract on her life and I intend to fulfill it. The only question is when."

"When we no longer need her," Anders touched his hand. "There is no rush, is there?"

"No rush," Lucanis nodded.

"So, who else have we got?" Anders went through a mental list of companions. "Taash. Taash is with Davrin, I presume."

"Taash?" Lucanis was surprised. "But she adores you!"

"She adores Harding a lot more, and Harding is with Davrin," Anders pointed out. "Taash will have figured it out, not saying anything. She will keep Davrin in check, and enjoy doing so."

"Antoine? Surely, he is with us," Lucanis realised that was the end of the list.

"He is, but not openly so," Anders nodded. "Antoine is mostly concerned for the well-being of the Wardens. They listen to him, too, rather more than to Davrin. He'll tug along with Davrin, but he is really with us."

"Another double agent," Dorian smiled. "Which leaves just the four of us to follow the forward group discreetly - we here and Emmrich."

"Three mages!" Lucanis shook his head. "I get saddled with three mages!"

"We'll do our best not to annoy," Dorian smirked.

"Alright, that's as much planning as we can possibly do," Anders got up, stretching. "It's the middle of the night... let's see if we can get a few hours sleep before the circus resumes tomorrow..."

...

"Wardens!" Neve was addressing a dozen Grey Wardens in battle attire. "Follow me, I shall lead you to the last remaining Archdemon! And together we'll slay it!"

"This will put an end to all Blights once and for all!" Davrin added enthusiastically but the Wardens didn't seem convinced.

"Well, actually, no, it won't end the Blights yet, but it is a necessary step to that goal!" Neve tried to correct him. "You've killed the first Archdemon," she addressed Grey Wardens again. "That made one escaped elven god mortal again. Now we have to do the same with the second. And then - on to the gods themselves! And that will end all Blights."

"Do you know where to find the gods?" Someone asked from the back of the room.

"Not yet..." Neve shuffled her feet. "But I'm sure I will, later!"

"Hmm..."

"The second Archdemon needs to die, it's clear, is it not?" Antoine spoke from amidst Grey Wardens. "So we can go and do it. Then we'll see."

"Be happy Antoine is backing you up for now," Varric said quietly to Neve. "He won't for long, but for now he's with you. Use it."

Neve nodded and smiled her most engaging and brilliant smile.

"Let's go, Wardens!" She spoke in an upbeat voice. "After the Archdemon! Into the Fade itself!"

That was the first time she mentioned that the Archdemon was in the Fade. Uncomfortable noises went through the Wardens, and if it wasn't for Antoine, they would have flatly turned around and marched off. But Antoine said something to one of them, and something else to another, and glances were thrown into the far corner where Anders stood with Dorian, Lucanis and Emmrich... Then the Wardens finally turned to Neve and Davrin again, nodding their agreement. Perhaps they saw the situation much clearer than Neve would have liked.

They set off. The way to the Fade was free, thanks to Anders' efforts in removing blighted boils previously. The Wardens hadn't seen it done because Anders had kept them back, but they could see what carnage took place there in the heaps of dead darkspawn covering the ground.

The transition into the Fade was subtle, and only mages noticed that the realm had changed. After some time also non-mages realised they were in the Fade - it made their skin crawl. Yet the place was peaceful with nothing attacking them, but everyone was on edge.

The Archdemon was resting on a large rock. It was nothing but a dragon asleep, a darkspawn dragon perhaps, but just a dragon... Taash readied her axes and everyone tensed, then Neve attacked.

The battle was as ferocious as could be expected - it was a fierce dragon imbued with some unknown Blight magic giving it far more endurance and power than anyone thought possible. Many Wardens fell before their combined efforts finally got the Archdemon down and dead. But, like with the first Archdemon, the death of this dragon did not claim a Warden's life. This Blight was different, the dragon's spirit was seen to rise from its body and drift away and out of sight. Everyone thought it was reunited with the elven god to whom it belonged.

Neve wanted to return to the Keep with all haste, but the Wardens insisted on carrying their dead comrades back with them, not wishing to leave them in the Fade.

"It's alright to die in the Deep Roads, that's what Wardens do," one of them explained to Neve. "But this is the Fade. There is no knowing what will happen to their bodies here, and it is our duty to return them to Mundus. We'll bury them there."

Neve tried to object but her arguments weren't listened to.

Anders and his companions followed Neve's group a short distance behind, not hiding at all. Their intentions had been clear from the start, and it didn't seem that Neve was bothered by that. Varric glared at them a few times but said nothing either. They joined the battle and were glad to realise that no one was trying to fight them but was focusing on the dragon; and when the battle was done, no one prevented Anders from trying to help anyone still alive. Neve didn't bring any other healers.

Back at the Keep the tension coming from Neve, Varric and Davrin was palpable. Taash was following Davrin everywhere, not taking her eyes off him or her hand off the hilt of her axe. Harding vanished, Antoine mixed among the Wardens attending to the dead; Anders joined the other healers attending to the living. It was a truce, that much was clear. But for how long? And what would be the next step? A few people knew, a few more guessed, and the majority were too tired to care. An Archdemon was slain that day, that was enough.