Chapter Text
When Jane woke up, she's sure that she's in a dream. Torches hang on the wall, there is a steady dripping to her left. It takes her eyes a minute to adjust, and she tries to push herself up, only to find that her hands are locked together in big metal handcuff things. She struggles to roll onto her side to push herself up.
“What an odd dream…” She mumbles. “I thought for sure I was dreaming in that dark place… but now I’m here…” She frowns. She’s never had a dream like this. Is...Is it really dream? She feels hot and feverish, and her right hand aches and burns in a way she doesn't understand.
Her question is answered by a deep voice moaning in pain from in front of her. Through the dim torchlight, she can see a large figure lying on the ground, shifting. An odd green light shines from his hand. It reminds her of the light from that lamp in the alley way, though that light was yellow… the alley way… Where is her stuff? Where is she? She gasps as she sat up straight, though it causes a wicked headache and rush. This place is real, she can tell by the way the cobblestone dug into her shin and how she's freezing through her clothes that were not made for whatever chill is in the air.
Jane is snapped out of her thoughts as the figure shifts, grumbling. In the torchlight, she could see horns on his head, too well placed to be fake.
Her breath catches in her throat. Is she in hell? What did she do to deserve hell? Did she even believe in hell? Her thoughts race, spinning out of control as her breath quickens. She's getting dizzy. Her head hurts. The lights blur together. She barely hears the door open. It's a man with pointed ears. A demon? Is the man with the green hand a demon? Or is he the devil, because of his horns?
She falls onto her hands, shaking. Her eyes are wet. When did she start crying? She feels faint, like she's going to pass out. Barely keeping herself upright, she slumps against the bars. Her thoughts are too fast, spinning out of control as the panic, the pain, and the fever grip her.
Someone grabs her right hand. Why is it yellow and so, so bright? The last thing she hears before she finally passes out is a man’s voice, soft and guilt-ridden.
“I’m sorry da’len.”
Cassandra is filled with rage. It had only increased as the shock wore off. After that apostate showed up to study the marks on their hands, it only got more frustrating. The Qunari hasn’t woken from his coma yet. The mark on his hand grew with the Breach. Was it a suicide mission? There was no way he would survive the week if the Breach went unchecked, at least that is what the Apostate Solas claimed. The human girl… her mark is stable, at least for now. It did nothing to her health, it did not grow, yet it resembled the green mark on the Qunari’s hand. It is concerning. Is there another breach they have yet to see, another threat they have to face?
She's lost in thought as Leliana approaches, causing her to jump out of her skin. “Maker’s Breath, must you walk to silently?”
“Apologies. The prisoners are awake now.” The spy's tone is ice cold. She's just as angry, if not angrier about the Divine’s death. They had always been so close to one another, something Cassandra almost envied her for just mere days ago. She looks up at the green wound in the sky. The Qunari is their only hope at sealing the Breach, and he was going to help whether he wanted to or not.
A guard opens the door for them, and Cassandra could see the Qunari hunching over in pain as four guards surrounded him, swords drawn. She forces herself to be quiet, barely holding back her rage as she circled him. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see the human girl, eyes wide in fear.
“Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now?” She threatens, stooping to speak into his ear. She feels him flinch, and there's a sick sort of triumph she doesn't often feel in her chest. She stands back up. “The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you,” She points her finger at him, then to the girl in the cell. “And her.”
The Qunari looks up at her, then to the girl, then back. “You think I’m responsible?” He didn’t sound… angry, just confused. Did he not know what he did? Her brow furrows. The proof of his guilt is on his very hand. Does he mean to make her and Leliana out to be fools?
She grabs his left hand, which crackles with energy, and held it to his face. “Explain this.” She throws his hand down and pointed to the girl again, whose own mark shines like gold. “And that.”
“I-I… can’t.” He stammers.
She isn't able hold back the rage in her voice. He has to have the answers. If he didn't, then they were hopeless, they were doomed. “What do you mean you can’t?”
“I don’t know what that is, how it got there, and who that girl is!” He exclaims, clambering for an excuse in a way that only fills her with more rage. How can he have the audacity to be scared right now? “I’ve never seen her before in my-“
“You’re lying!” She grabs the front of his scarf, jolting him a bit. They were the only leads they had, if it wasn’t him, if it wasn’t her, who could it be?! Was it just an accident? A mage so scared they caused an explosion? No, it had to be one of them. They had to have justice!
Leliana pushed her away, backing her up a bit. “We need him Cassandra.” She said, looking back at the Qunari. Her tone is different now. Gentler, though not soft by any means. She must have picked something up that Cassandra didn't.
“I… I can’t believe it… all those people… dead?” He sounds heartbroken, on the verge of tears.
“What people? What’s on my hand?” The girl asks, grabbing the bars of her cell. Obviously she suffered memory loss to the extreme, if she can't even remember the Conclave. She would be no use interrogating deeply until the Breach is closed.
Leliana keeps her eyes on their prime suspect. “Do you remember what happened? How all this began?” She stands over him, watching his every movement. Watching for tells. If he lies, then she would know.
“I remember running. Things were… were chasing me, and then… a woman? In light, holding out her hand to me.” He furrows his brow, thinking hard.
“A woman?” Leliana crosses her arms. She glances to Cassandra and barely shakes her head. He isn’t lying, at least about this. The spymaster turns her head to the girl. “And you? Any answers?”
“I was walking home from the airport… t-to go see my aunt, there was a lamp post… it was a bright yellow… too weird to be normal and there was something under it, a-and I picked it up and-“ Her breath quickens and her fingers tighten around the metal bars. Leliana's brow quirks.
“Airport?” Leliana asked, fixing to delve deeper into the story when Cassandra hears a crackle from the Qunari’s hand, causing him to wince and cry out in pain. The Breach is growing.
“Now isn’t the time for interrogations. Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take them to the Rift.” She says, watching Leliana nod and leave out the door. As soon as she leaves, she signals to the guard to unlock the cell door and help the girl out. Cassandra stoops down to unlock the chains on the Qunari’s wrist and tie a rope around them instead. The girl has the same done to her, after being given a coat to wear outside. It is then Cassandra realizes she wasn’t wearing normal clothes for the heavy winters of Haven, much less proper clothing for even summer. A thin shirt and tight pants... Things she has seen certain women wear, and she can't think of a good reason at all for a young girl to be wearing these kinds of clothes.
“What did happen?” The Qunari asks suddenly as he stands.
“It… will be easier to show you.” She guides him to walk in front of her as she gestures the girl over. She's small, looking almost like a kicked puppy as she is led out of the dungeon. Cassandra, despite herself, makes sure she is adequately warm for the trek outside, grabbing a scarf that had been left by a soldier and wrapping it around the girl’s shoulders. Can’t have her getting sick before any trial or interrogation, she reasons with herself.
For such a small village, Haven’s chantry is filled to the brim with the faithful, all of them praying to the Maker that a solution would be found. The ones not deep in thought looked to the two prisoners, frowning. Cassandra expects that the only reason that they weren’t yelling curses was because they were in a holy place.
A guard opened the door for them to allow them outside. Both prisoners winced and shielded their eyes from the sun, not used to being out in daylight since the day they were found. Cassandra stopped a few steps from the entrance, looking up at the horrible thing in the sky. She clenched her jaw. Soon, hopefully, this will all be over.
She heard the girl gasp in terror behind her. “What is that?”
“We call it the Breach. It’s a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger each passing hour,” She turned to face the two, “It’s not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave.” She walked back to where they were standing.
“An explosion can do that?” The Qunari grunted. “Sounds unlikely.” He looked down at her.
She narrowed her eyes a bit. “This one did. Unless we act, the Breach may grow to swallow the whole world.”
“The whole world? One explosion can cause a world ending event?” The girl asked.
The Breach boomed, growing larger slightly. The Qunari’s mark crackled along with the breach, causing him to shout in pain and drop to his knees. It seemed to startle the girl, causing her to step back in alarm. Cassandra knelt in front of him.
“Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads… and it is killing you.” She said. He looked afraid for the first time. She could see the girl hold her right hand close to her chest, like she realized what her mark could do to her. “It may be the key to stopping this. But there isn’t much time.”
“The key to what? That thing is huge.” The girl said.
“To closing the Breach. Whether or not that it is possible is something we will soon discover.” She answered. “But it is our only chance.”
“But you still think I did this. To myself? To her?” The qunari asked. “I’m not a monster.”
“Not… intentionally. Something clearly went wrong in whatever happened. And if you aren’t responsible…” Cassandra felt a small sliver of guilt in her chest for hoping it was one of them. It would be so simple. So easy for the world to return to normal. “Someone is. And you two are our only suspects.”
The girl grew upset at that, she could tell it on her face. By the Maker, she wasn’t good at hiding her emotions. “I don’t even know what happened!”
“You wish to prove your innocence? This is the only way.” There was a pause as the two contemplated their choices.
“I understand.” The Qunari said, with a look of determination on his face.
“Then…?” She knew she sounded hopeful.
“I’ll do what I can. Whatever it takes.”
“Fine.” The girl said. “I suppose… I suppose coming along is the only way to get answers.”
Cassandra felt nothing but respect and pity for the prisoner on his knees. Towards the girl… she supposed she couldn’t blame her. After all, the Qunari was the one required to follow. She helped the Qunari up to his feet and led the both away from the Chantry doors. Usually leaving a Chantry filled her with hope. Now she only felt dread.
As they walked, she noticed the Qunari move closer to the girl, trying to shield her, she assumed, from the glares and shouts the two received from the townspeople.
“They have decided your guilt. They need it.” Cassandra explained, hoping to jog some memory for the girl and Qunari. “The people mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, Head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers. It was a chance for peace between the mages and templars. She brought their leaders together, now they are dead.”
The small group was quiet as they walked the quiet path. It was hard to say anything to that.
“I never got your name.” The Qunari said softly to the girl. “Mine is Nazari Adaar.”
“Jane.” She said softly.
Cassandra had hoped to not know their names. It made it more personal, to know they had lives. Parents. Siblings. Loved ones. Jane was such a gentle name. Nazari’s name meant he wasn’t even a Qun spy like they thought. She was quiet as they passed through the gates. She stopped the pair and pulled out a knife, causing Jane to flinch. Her heart ached at causing such a young girl pain.
“There will be a trial.” She promised, cutting the ropes binding the Qunari’s hands before moving to release Jane. “I can promise no more. Come. It is not far.” She turned.
“Where are you taking us?” Nazari asked.
“To the end of the world I guess.” Jane whispered.
Cassandra was quiet.
Nazari felt awkward lumbering around. For once, even though the people around him hated him, it wasn’t because he was a Qunari. It was because he was a terrorist holy shit. He along with a frightfully tiny human girl, who looked terrified as all shit. She wasn’t even a mage, his magic could feel that much. She did feel different, but that could wait.
The Seeker was leading them to the Breach. He felt the mark on his hand humming with each step closer, like it wanted to be near it. It made him sick. Maybe his magic just went terribly wrong. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. He didn’t want to kill the Divine. He just wanted all of this to be over.
He looked to Jane, who was making a face as they passed by a burning cart. “How are you holding up?”
“As… As best as I can be, I suppose.” She said. “For being someplace I don’t recognize, with… people I don’t recognize.” Her shoes sank into the snow and she had to pull her foot out.
“Maker! It’s the end of the world!” A pair of soldiers barreled past.
“And for being stuck in the end of the world.” She said.
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Hopefully, everything will end and we can go home.” He said. If not that then… he could imagine his head on a chopping block. He couldn’t imagine hers. He wouldn’t.
The Breach thundered overhead, causing his mark to spike with a burst of energy. The shock and pain sent him to his knees. He cried out in pain this time. He looked up to see Cassandra approaching to help him to his feet, Jane patting his arm in awkward attempt to comfort him.
“The pulses are coming faster now.” The Seeker told him, patting his arm firmly. She sounded nicer than she did earlier. He couldn’t blame her for being so harsh, even Seekers could get scared.
Jane walked a bit closer to Nazari after that, glancing at his hand every so often, then down to hers. While his was a sickly green, hers was a warm yellow. It made the pain of his mark die down, for some reason.
“What did happen?” He asked.
“They say you walked out of a rift after the explosion. No one is sure how you survived. They say… They say a woman was behind you as the rift closed.”
“A woman?” It must have been the woman from the darkness.
“No one knows who she was.”
“And me?” Jane asked.
“Somehow, less information about what happened to you is known.” Cassandra said. “You were found, with a strange kind of luggage and bag, outside the gates of Haven, with your own mark on your hand. We know nothing else.” Cassandra explained as they came up to the next bridge.
“Where is all my stuff?”
“In a safe place. We… we weren’t sure what to do with it, and we did not want to lose anything in case you were found innocent.”
Almost like it was planned, Nazari made it to the middle of the bridge, and a shootoff from the Breach hit the stone, causing it to explode. He hit the ground, rolling to soften the blow. Cassandra landed in front of him, sword already out and moving to a demon that was slinking to them. He could hear Jane behind him, but in front, a bubbling mass started rising from the ice, hissing.
He glanced around, looking for something to defend himself. He caught sight of a staff and grabbed it. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do better than fisticuffs. “Stay behind me Jane!” He shouted as the bubbling mass erupted into a demon. He had faced far worse as his time as an apostate.
He shot a fireball at the shade, then another, blocking it from going around to hit Jane. It died easily enough, and he watched Cassandra strike down the other shade as he pulled Jane to her feet. She looked terrified. Oh right. She didn’t know what a demon was.
As he approached, Jane in tow, he looked around warily. “It’s over.” The coast was clear for now.
Cassandra pointed her sword at him. Wait. Why was she? Was she under a spell-
“Drop your weapon! Now!” She ordered. Oh. Right. He was a prisoner, a prisoner with a weapon.
“Alright. Have it your way.” Despite the fact that he needed it to protect himself, he knew he needed their trust. He wasn’t going to die for something he didn’t even remember.
Cassandra glanced between him and Jane for a moment. “Wait.” She sighed, lowering her sword and sheathing it. “I cannot protect you and I cannot expect you to be defenseless. I should have remembered you agreed to come willingly.” She took off the sheath for her dagger and gave it to Jane. “You need to protect yourself. At least in some way. We will face many foes on our way to the breach.”
The girl took the dagger, hands shaking. “Those were demons?” She asked.
“One of the lesser ones. More common. Easier to kill than others.” Nazari said. “Nonetheless, still dangerous. If you are not used to a dagger, just… Just stab with the pointy end.” He said.
“It’s a knife. I know the basics of stabbing.” Jane retorted dryly.
“If that is all, let us be off.” Cassandra said, leading the way up the frozen river after passing some potions to the two of them.
They passed a few bodies, Nazari picking off some loot from them. Jane tried to refuse wearing a hat he found, It’s from a dead person! I don’t want it!, before Cassandra insisted, stating that it would only get colder. And colder it did get, even with all of the fighting.
Jane was tired. Exhaustion was seeping in through every part of her. Her shoes weren’t made for walking around in ice or snow, the jacket was too heavy, the scarf was too long, and for god’s sake, the hat was picked off of a dead soldier! They had to fight what seemed like hoards of demons before Cassandra deemed a safe spot to rest for a moment.
Nazari rubbed at his palm, at the green light shining from it. Nazari was nice. Nazari was also not human. She had seen other people that weren’t human either. This was a strange place. The air, while cleaner than New Orleans’ humid atmosphere, was heavier. It felt… oppressive. Like something was trying to push through it and just couldn’t break it right. The feeling only left her when she stood next to Nazari, which is why she stuck by him so much.
That, and Cassandra frightened the shit out of her.
They only sat at their little stop for a few minutes while Cassandra kept watch. She ushered the both of them to stand and keep moving. Three more demons died on their way up the hills.
“It won’t be much longer. They must be holding off the rift near here!” Cassandra said as they ran up the steps. She wished they would stop running, her tennis shoes were not made for ice.
“Who’s ‘they’?” Nazari asked, behind Jane.
“You’ll see soon enough. First we need that rift taken out of the way.” She ordered, jumping down the ledge to join the fray of soldiers fighting demons pouring out of what looked like to be a mini Breach.
Nazari leapt down after the woman, slinging a ball of fire at a green spirit as he did so.
Jane stayed back. The ledge provided a barrier from the demons for the most part, and she had already cut Nazari on the arm on accident. The fight was too hectic for her to join in, and frankly she didn’t want to. She could get hurt, and those potions tasted disgusting and made her feel weird afterwards.
A spirit floated up at her and pulled back it’s arms to hit her while she watched the battle unfold. Jane glared at it, annoyed that she had to put up with all this today. She pulled out her dagger and swung it at the wisp. It was slow slicing through the thing, like carving out a thick block of jello. It dissolved right as she heard someone shout.
She saw who she assumed to be an elf grab Nazari’s wrist and shove it towards the green thing hovering over the ground. She heard the telltale crackle of his mark as it connected and closed the magic demon maker. She supposed that was her cue to rejoin Cassandra and Nazari. She carefully clambered down the ledge, awkward and very aware of the fact they were waiting for her. She slowly slunk to stand next to Nazari, grabbing his wrist. It was so easy to breathe around the portals, but once it closed it was like the weight was back. Back to his side she went then.
“I did nothing. The credit is yours.” The elf stated, answering a question she hadn’t heard. His voice sounded familiar.
“So, I can help?” Nazari asked, looking down to his mark. “We have a chance?”
“Yes. What ever magic put that Breach in the sky also placed that mark on your hand. I theorized that your mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach’s wake. And it seems I was correct.” He sounded pleased with himself.
“What about mine?” Jane held up her right hand to show the faint glow from her docile mark. She heard someone with a deep voice inhale.
“Maker, Cassandra, what happened?” They asked.
“I have… little idea what yours connects to. It seems to have no reaction to the Breach or the rifts. Unlike his, yours has no connection to anyplace in the world, though that might be being covered by the Breach’s power.” He explained.
“But your mark is not an immediate threat. His, however, could close the Breach itself.” Cassandra walked forward.
“Possibly. It seems you hold the key to our salvation.” The elf said.
Jane looked to Nazari. He seemed tense, and she took his wrist again with her right hand. Maybe his mark felt better with hers near it as well. She looked over her shoulder when she heard someone speak.
“Good to know. Here I thought we’d be ass deep in demons forever.” He said, fixing his gloves. A… dwarf? That’s what Nazari explained when they had pauses between battles. He walked over as they faced him. “Varric Tethras. Rogue, storyteller, and occasional unwelcome tagalong.” He winked at Cassandra. She heard her scoff.
“That’s a nice crossbow.” Jane offered up, unsure how to proceed.
“Ah, isn’t she? Bianca and I have been through a lot together.” He looked at the hilt sticking up over his shoulder.
“You named your crossbow Bianca?” Nazari asked, smiling a bit.
“Of course, and she’ll be great company in the valley.”
Cassandra came forward, between Varric and Jane. “Absolutely not. Your help is appreciated Varric, but-“
“Have you been in the valley, Seeker?” He interrupted. “Your soldiers aren’t in control anymore. You have two prisoners with you. One, sure, can hold his own in a fight as well as I can see. But the other can’t hold a dagger the right way when killing a wraith. You need me.” He said smugly.
“Ugh.” She turned and moved away, clearly having no solid reason to argue his point.
“My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions.” He said. “I’m glad to see you both still live.”
“Oh! You’re the one who came in to check on Nazari and I!” Jane exclaimed. “I remember, cause I woke up a bit and you came in!”
“Yes, that was I.” He smiled a bit.
“I’m Jane.” She said.
“Well, Jane, if you want to be able to protect yourself, you’re going to have to hold that dagger right.” Varric said, taking her hand and adjusting her grip on the dagger. “You don’t slice either unless you’re moving fast. Stab first, slows them down a bit.”
Truthfully, she felt more confident in her stabbing skills once he fixed her hand. She smiled at him a bit. At least she wasn’t stuck with a bunch of assholes.
“Cassandra, before we head forward, I need you to know, that whatever magic involved here is truly advanced. While Nazari is a mage, I find it difficult for anyone to deal this kind of damage to the world.” Solas said.
“I understand. But come, let us make haste to the forward camp.” She nodded, before jumping over some planks blocking a path.
“Well. Bianca’s happy.” Varric shrugged as he followed.
Jane, as she followed them, nearly slipping onto her face after stepping over the planks, looked at the green sky. Maybe this was her ticket home to Earth. Either way, she was in it for the long haul.
As the group moved further down the path, right where the rift Nazari closed, a small spark of yellow ignited. It burned bright for a few seconds, opening a hole the size of a small coin in the air. Through it, an eye, resembling a halla, looked out and narrowed.
“Soon.”