ã€ŠHealing the Dark - A Dragon Age Inquisition fanfictionã€‹


 Chapter 1

    Holli sat up with a sigh, blearily rubbing her eyes. Her mum had been getting on the piss with a bunch of her wank friends well into the early hours of the morning. Never mind that Holli had school this morning...

    She''d managed a few hours of sleep at least, long enough to have a string of nonsensical dreams featuring mostly fictional characters from books she had read.

    Shunting her exhaustion to the side, she got up, slipped on her uggs and headed to the door, pushing her dressing table out of the way.

    With a bunch of drunks and druggies in her house, she had learnt a long time ago it was safer to barricade herself in her room if she wanted to have any sense of safety.

    After a night like that, the first thing she always did was check on her mum. She found the woman in the lounge, crashed out on the floor. There were others around in similar condition, but she didn''t much care about them. She checked her mum was still alive before shifting her into the recovery position. The woman had nearly killed herself¡ªa few times actually¡ªin the past because of shit like this, and overdosing, and alcohol poisoning.

    Her mum made shit decisions and could be an abusive bitch on the wrong substance or when she''d gone without for too long, then she could also be really fun and awesome on the right combination. But Holli loved her. Candace was her mum.

    With her mum taken care of, she went back to her room and grabbed her school uniform before shuffling down the hallway to the bathroom to get ready for the day. There was already a lock on this door, so she didn''t need to barricade it.

    At least today was the start of their school trip; she''d be away from this bullshit for a week. But she did worry about her mother. Who would make sure she didn''t choke on her own vomit? Who would call an ambulance if she OD''ed or got alcohol poisoning again?

    Holli got on well enough with the old lady next door and might be able to ask her. But Mrs. Polatsky really didn''t like Candace and made no effort to hide it. She got the feeling the only reason she was nice to Holli was because she felt sorry for her. It rubbed Holli the wrong way, but she wasn''t going to cause trouble over it. It got her hot meals and baked goods from time to time. And if she lay on the charm enough, it might get her someone to make sure her mum didn''t die.

    Holli doubted the old woman would wade through drugs, vomit, booze, and unconscious bodies to check on a woman she despised. But it was worth a try.

    The thought of getting some kind of wellness check had crossed her mind, but that could bring in police and social workers. Holli worked pretty hard to make sure no one knew what home was like. She didn''t want it getting out and being spread all around school somehow. Her private business was her private business. Her closest friends suspected all wasn''t right at home, but she lied when they asked.

    At least she could take comfort in the fact it had been a long time since her mum had needed her life saved. But did that mean she was getting better at taking care of herself? Or that she was due for something terrible?

    Dammit, that would eat at her the whole week.

    Of course she had her cell phone and could text her mum, unfortunately, the woman wasn''t very reliable at texting back. No reply from her would also make Holli worry.

    Once out of the shower, Holli dressed and styled her hair to hide her stupid ears. Though people had stopped making fun of how pointed they were now, it was ingrained in her to keep them hidden. The ends of them were deformed¡ªpointed. She''d tried to hide it with a buttload of piercings, but that wasn''t as effective as she''d hoped. Hiding it with her hair and hats was the best way.

    When she was a child being bullied for her stupid ears, she used to imagine she was an elf. Who hadn''t seen Lord of the Rings? But her ears weren''t quite the same. Not as pretty and delicate. Just deformed.

    With her ears safely hidden, Holli was ready for school. There was no food in the fridge or cupboards, so no point in breakfast. She penned a note to her mum reminding her where she would be for the week and having to bite down on the bitter voice in her head that told her Candace probably wouldn''t even notice she was gone. Holli grabbed her school bag and her duffel with her trip stuff and left the house.

    It was a bit nippy outside; her uniform and scarf didn''t do much to keep the cold out, and oh, how she hated the cold. Her school jacket wasn''t as warm as she''d like either, even with the long-sleeved thermal top underneath. But once at camp, she''d be able to discard the tartan skirt, stockings, and blazer for mufti clothes all week. And she had some warm hoodies in there, her pea coat, and her oh so comfortable fluffy socks and snow boots.

    When she grew up, she was going to move somewhere warm and then never set foot in the cold again.

    Getting to the school gate, she smirked inwardly at seeing one of her classmates, Ginny Pike. The bitch had been trying to crawl to top of their class all year now. She had even accused Holli of cheating to maintain her spot. As if she needed to.

    Holli had started to expend a bit of effort in maintaining that spot since Pike arrived. But it wasn''t hard. Holli knew she was smart; it was one of the only good things about her. She could absorb information at a phenomenal rate and retain it indefinitely. It made school easy since exams were just tests of memory most of the time...This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Holli usually tried not to excel too much though. If she did too well, they''d contact her mum about advanced classes or courses. Too low, and they''d contact her mum about the drop¡ªis everything all right at home? Does she need tutoring sessions? But she didn''t want them to stay so low that she tanked any chance at scholarships for uni. It was a bit of a balancing act. She wanted to go to med school. The plan was to start excelling in her final year. It might not be as effective as doing consistently well the whole time, but she would manage.

    But this time, Holli couldn''t resist crushing Ginny Pike and had been doing super well since Pike had made a dig about her cheating. Her marks had soared to heights Pike could never reach no matter how hard she tried. It was petty and could blow her whole not-too-much-attention thing, but Holli had gone with it anyway. Fuck Ginny Pike.

    "Holli!"

    Holli looked up to see her friend Yvette on the stairs. She joined her, leaning against the railing.

    "Hey," she greeted.

    Yvette grinned. "Ginny''s been giving you dagger eyes since you walked through the gate."

    "Number two can dagger eyes all she wants; it ain''t gonna help her."

    Yvette laughed.

    "Let''s go inside, fucking freezing out here..."

    "Gonna be worse where we''re going."

    "But my own clothes are warmer than my uniform."

    "It''ll probably just balance out then," Yvette grinned.

    Holli cast her a half-hearted glare for trying to dash her hopes.

    "So stupid. They should have just let us come in mufti," Yvette grumbled.

    Holli grunted her agreement as they passed through the doors, their shoes squeaking on the corridor floor. She could hear footsteps behind her, and a body suddenly pushed in between the two girls, arms slung over their shoulders.

    "''Sup, bruvs?"

    "''Sup, Curtis?"

    "We all ready for our trip, ma wee darlings?" He asked, sarcasm oozing off of him.

    Their friend had not been keen on it. He wasn''t the outdoorsy type. Or the manual labour type. Or the exert-any-kind-of-effort-whatsoever type...

    He thought it was unfair they had to wait until they were on their last year of school before they could go on an overseas school trip. He wanted to go to America.

    Honestly, given the shitshow that place was becoming, Holli wouldn''t want to go there.

    Besides, school left that kind of trip for the last year because there weren''t many of them left by then. Easier to keep track of them when they number single digits. A couple more years though...

    "Where''s your bag?" Holli asked, noticing he wasn''t carrying an extra for all his trip gear.

    "On the bus, saving my seat."

    "They let you do that?" Yvette asked, annoyed.

    "Lou was there, and you know how he loves me."

    "Probably just gave you what you want so you''d leave," Yvette snarked.

    Curtis shoved her lightly. "Fuck off, everybody loves me."

    Holli reckoned he was more of an acquired taste, but whatever...

    -

    Before going out to the bus, they had to go to class so the teacher could take roll and make sure they all had everything they would need for the week. She also wanted to go over the rules, itinerary, and cabin groups. Obviously girls and boys couldn''t share the same cabin, so Curtis had to bunk with some of the boys in their class. He wasn''t that happy about it since he didn''t really get on all that well with them. Most of them afraid of catching the gay. Idiots.

    Once that was all done, they were released to go out to the bus. Holli slung her duffel over her shoulder and followed her classmates, veering off at the bathroom to take a quick piss before getting on the bus. It would take hours to get there, and she didn''t know if they were going to be allowed to stop along the way.

    Before the door could even close, she heard the sound of screaming and yelling out in the halls; seconds later, it was followed by a popping sound. Lots of pops. She could hear feet running in the hallway.

    It took her a few moments to realise what was happening. Those were gunshots!

    She backed away from the door, her eyes darting around for somewhere to hide or a way out. The only places were the stalls. The window was small, high up and didn''t open wide enough. She could smash it, but it was still too high. Even if she tried to stand on her duffel.

    The door slammed open and her heart jumped into her throat, she turned to face the new arrival, breathing a sigh of relief to see it was one of her classmates, unarmed. The relief died quickly when she registered the blood all over her.

    "Katie!" Holli gasped, going to help her.

    Katie made it all of two steps before she collapsed, Holli dropping to her knees with her as she tried to help her. Katie was crying, and Holli didn''t know what to do. Her breath was coming out in ragged gasps as panic started to set in. Pressure! She had to put pressure on the wound. She''d learnt this in first aid, for fuck''s sake. Get it together!

    There hadn''t been a school shooting since Dunblane if she was remembering correctly, and with the stress of the situation, she wasn''t sure she trusted her memory right now.

    Holli thought she found the source of the bleeding, pressing her hands to it, her duffel getting in the way a bit. But she was too scared to take her hands off, fearing Katie would bleed out if Holli attempted to shrug off her duffel and back pack.

    The door opened again, and Holli looked up, her eyes widening at the kid who walked in. He was dressed in a black puffer and jeans, a gun in his hand. She recognised him. He had been a couple of years above her, on his last year of school when he had been expelled. Why he''d been expelled was unknown to her, but rumours had run rampant. That he was a rapist, that he''d been selling drugs on school grounds, that he had been performing satanic rituals in the prop storage room under the stage... Obviously, some were more ridiculous than others.

    Before she could do anything, he fired. It didn''t hurt the first second or two; she felt the impact, but not pain as she dropped back. She awkwardly fell over her bag, which probably made the pain that started a second later feel a whole hell of a lot worse.

    She looked up at him¡ªRay? Roy?¡ªas she tried to put pressure on her own gunshot wounds. He looked so... empty; resigned maybe.

    Everything up until now had felt like it had happened in the blink of an eye, but as he advanced on her, it was like slow motion, sound muffled. All she could hear were his footsteps on the lino and her heartbeat in her ears.

    And for some reason, everything was starting to turn green¡ªa strange green light forming above him. He raised the gun again, seemingly oblivious to the light. It was getting brighter and brighter, so bright she had to close her eyes. Her hands fisted into her shirt, soaked with blood¡ªsome of it hers, some of it Katies.

    She squeezed her eyes shut, and then she heard the bang.

 Chapter 2

    Holli shivered, rolling over, her hand reaching out for the blankets. She fucking hated the cold.

    Two things hit her in that moment. The agony in her hand and chest, and a restriction of her arms.

    Her eyes opened, trying to make sense of everything. She was in a dark, stone room that looked like a bloody dungeon. It was dimly lit, a couple of torches in the darkest corners and a barred hole in the wall. She would have called it a window, but it had no glass. And her hands were in some kind of stockade, one of them glowing a sickening green from what appeared to be some kind of crack in her skin. Where there should have been blood and tissue, there was only the glow.

    What the hell...?

    Her last memories hit her then too, just fragments of them, with all the force of a kick to the gut. She had been shot!

    Her eyes darted around the room again. This definitely wasn''t the bathroom at school. Nor was it a hospital.

    "What the actual fuck...?" She whispered to herself.

    Looking down at herself, she saw she was only in the lower half of her uniform; her shirt and blazer had been swapped out for some kind of canvas or linen thing that was too big and not warm enough. Her uniform would have been covered in blood she supposed, and had holes in it.

    She couldn''t see down her shirt to see what happened to the bullet wounds, but since she was still alive, she figured they had been treated.

    Didn''t answer the other immediate questions: Where was she and¡ª?

    Her hand suddenly flashed, the light blinding. She couldn''t bite back the squeal of pain that it caused.

    The door to her... cell? suddenly burst open, the iron bars slamming against the stone wall. She flinched at the sound, watching two women stalk into the room. One practically glowed with anger; the other looked like a blank slate, expression carefully neutral.

    Holli didn''t buy it. Were they going to go for a good cop, bad cop thing? And why? Why was she even locked up?

    The angry woman circled her, glaring down at her.

    "Where am I?" Holli asked. "How did I get here? Who are you? Why are you dressed like that? What is this?" She held her glowing hand up as much as the restraint would allow. It was heavy. "What happened to that dude? I- I don''t think I was alone, there was a girl? Where''s my mum?"

    The questions just poured out of her as she tried to piece her memories together, but there were gaps. Gaping holes.

    The two women exchanged a look, and Holli noticed a barely perceptible softening of the angry woman.

    "What is your name?" She asked, less fury in her voice than in her eyes.

    "Holiday Whitlock. Everyone just calls me Holli."

    "Holiday Whitlock, we were hoping you could tell us what that thing on your hand is. And why you were the only person to survive the explosion."

    Sounded more like an accusation.

    "Explosion? He set off a bomb!?"

    "''He''?" The other one asked, her eyes narrowed.

    "The shooter. There was a shooter... I can''t- I can''t remember who it was. Christ, everyone else died!?"

    Did they? This whole situation seemed wrong. Were they even talking about the same event?

    "Including the Divine," the shorter-haired woman said. The statement sounded more testing than accusatory.

    This gave her pause. "Divine? What''s the Divine?"

    The women exchanged another look Holli couldn''t decipher.

    "What do you remember?"

    "I was at school; we were getting ready to go to camp. I had to take a quick slash-"

    "Slash?"

    "A piss. I-needed-to-ur-in-ate." She enunciated slowly and clearly as if they were children. "I went to the bathroom." Her voice dropped as she recalled the terror of it, the disbelief at first. "Then the screaming started... and the shooting..."

    The screams and pops echoed around her head and she squeezed her eyes shut and shook it, hoping to banish them.

    "Katie came in; she had blood all over her." Holli could feel tears stinging her eyes, and she tried to blink them back. "I can''t remember. There was blood... and a green light maybe?" Her voice hardened, and she glared up at the woman. "Next thing I know, I''m here. Where is here? What is going on? How am I even still alive?"

    The angry woman sighed, deflating with it. "It would appear Solas was correct."

    Holli didn''t know who the hell Solas was.

    "Head to the forward camp, Leliana. We will meet you there."

    Leliana nodded and left the room. The other woman crouched in front of her, unlocking the stockade.

    "I am Seeker Cassandra Pentagast. And you are in Haven, in the Frostback Mountains of Ferelden"

    Holli just stared, unsure what to do with this information because it wasn''t making sense to her. And while she wasn''t much else, she was smart. Maybe she had a head wound? That would make it difficult to comprehend their words.

    "And where- where is London?" She asked weakly.

    "No such place exists here, as far as I know." She tied Holli''s hands with rope this time, hauling her to her feet. "And as for your hand... Well, let''s get outside first."Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    She kept her hand firmly around Holli''s arm, forcing her to walk. Holli fell into her own thoughts, Pentagasts words swirling in her mind. Part of her was still trying to make them make sense, to slot them into place with what she already knew of reality. Another part of her was taking in everything around her. The building was made of wood and stone; light sources were all torches and candles. No electricity...

    They came to a pair of large, heavy wooden doors, which Pentagast pushed open. The daylight was practically blinding, and Holli had to shield her eyes while she waited for them to adjust. When she could see clearly, it was the sky that drew her attention first. There was some kind of swirling... hole? in it. There were giant rocks floating around it, and things were falling out of it. More rocks?

    "We call it ''the Breach.'' It is a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour."

    What the actual fuck? Did she die? Was this some kind of weird afterlife? A coma dream? This couldn''t be real.

    "It''s not the only such rift. Just the largest." She turned to look at Holli. "All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."

    Conclave? The Fade? Demons? Holli could only stare at her, dumbfounded.

    "Unless we act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world."

    The Breach pulsed, growing larger, the shock of it shaking the earth. In the same instant, it felt like her hand exploded, the light flashing. She cried out and dropped to the ground, trying to ease the pain and mildly surprised to see her hand still there and intact.

    Pentagast crouched in front of her again. "Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads. And it is killing you."

    "I think... I think I''ve already died. None of this is right. I shouldn''t be here," she said it quietly, afraid of saying it out loud but unsure why.

    The woman sighed. "You have not died. But you''re right; you do not belong here. Solas suspected you came from... somewhere else. Another world."

    "And does this ''Solas'' know how I can get home?"

    "I do not know. My concern right now is the Breach. And that mark on your hand may be the key to stopping it. But there isn''t much time."

    "Because it''s killing me."

    The woman nodded, not even trying to sugarcoat it.

    "Fine. I''ll help. But I want your word we will figure out how to remove it and get me home."

    Whether or not Holli could trust this woman, she had no idea. But she didn''t know what else to do. She was still just trying to process this whole situation and piece together the holes in her memory.

    "You have my word," she said, helping Holli to her feet.

    "And can I get some kind of jacket? It''s fucking freezing."

    She nodded, walking Holli through the town she was only now starting to notice. There were plenty of people about, and they were glaring. Some people were even looking at her with fear. One woman spat in her path.

    "Why?" She whispered to the Seeker.

    "They believe you are responsible."

    "Are they retarded?"

    She shot Holli a glare for that comment. "They do not know the circumstances. They know only that you survived what killed everyone else and that your mark is connected to the Breach. They are grief-stricken and afraid. They mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, Head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers."

    "A woman in charge of a religious order? Don''t see that very often," she muttered.

    "This was a chance for peace between mages and templars. She brought their leaders together. Now they are dead."

    "Mages? As in... magic? Dungeons and Dragons kinda stuff?"

    She side-eyed her. "Of course. Then you have mages where you come from too?"

    "No. Magic is... fiction. Movie and video game stuff. We don''t have dungeons or dragons either. Well, dungeons maybe. But not the same."

    She had been doing a good job of keeping the panic at bay, she''d thought, but the more she learned about bizarro world, the harder it was to fight it off.

    "Wait, do you have dragons here?"

    "Of course," she replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "In here," she said, opening the door to one of the houses they were walking by. From the wardrobe in the corner she pulled out a hooded black fur cloak, fixing it around Holli''s shoulders. Not the best, but better than nothing. It would help hide her clothes as well, which were mismatched, a mess, and aside from the shirt, not of this world.

    Cassandra pulled a dagger from her belt and cut the rope binding Holli''s hands.

    "I don''t suppose you have any kind of combat training?" Cassandra asked as she ushered Holli out the door.

    "No. Do I need some?"

    "It would be ideal."

    Honestly, right now, coma dream was the ideal scenario. At least then it was just a dream and none of this mattered. Maybe even dying here would wake her up. If she was dead or had indeed somehow jumped worlds, then this was her reality, and it was cold and terrifying.

    They left the town, passing through a gate and stepping out onto a bridge. The wind hit harder out here, and Holli pulled her cloak tighter around herself, wrapping herself in it like a blanket.

    "Are we going to try and close the Breach right now?" She asked.

    "No, we must test you on something smaller."

    Holli followed Cassandra closely, wary of the armed men and women out here who were giving her the stink eye, almost as fierce as Ginny Pike.

    Holli couldn''t help but wonder what the situation back home was. How many of her classmates had been killed? Injured? Had he been stopped?

    Was her mum sitting at her bedside in the hospital? Preparing her funeral? Or wondering where she was?

    She just couldn''t understand how this was happening, on the off chance it wasn''t a coma dream. Part of her didn''t want to go there; another part knew not to discard anything just yet, no matter how impossible it may seem.

    She followed Cassandra out the gates and up the hill in silence. She watched the Breach as she walked. It was massive, and the swirling vortex hypnotising. How they expected her to close it with her little old hand was beyond her.

    It flashed and grew, and she felt it in her hand, losing her step and biting her tongue to keep the scream in.

    Cassandra came and crouched in front of her again. "The pulses are coming faster now."

    "Sucks to be me then," she muttered through gritted teeth, hauling herself to her feet.

    She fell into step beside the older woman, pulling her cloak tightly again.

    "The larger the Breach grows, the more rifts appear, and the more demons we face."

    "What do you know about how I came to be here?"

    Did her arrival cause the explosion? It wasn''t a question she wanted to ask out loud on the off chance they hadn''t considered that yet. The last thing she wanted was to prove they had reason to blame her.

    "Only that you appeared from a rift, a figure behind you."

    "I appeared after the explosion? Who was the figure?"

    "Yes, after. Nobody knows who the figure was, only that they glowed bright as the sun."

    If she appeared after, maybe her arrival wasn''t responsible then.

    They stepped onto another bridge, the wind hitting harder with the absence of cover from the mountain, trees, and rocks. A loud noise from the Breach shook the ground beneath them; the next thing Holli knew, the bridge collapsed, she and Cassandra tumbling down over the broken stone and hitting cold, solid ice below.

    Her skin burned where the ice touched it, and she wasn''t sure, but she might have broken or fractured something on the way down. The wind had definitely been knocked out of her.

    Cassandra was up quickly, drawing her sword and shield. Holli followed her hard gaze to some kind of creature rising up out of the black muck and smoke that had fallen from the Breach. What the fuck was that?

    Holli got to her feet, once again pulling her cloak around her, her teeth starting to chatter. She watched Cassandra a moment before something caught her eye. Another pool of that black shit not too far from her. A clawed hand reached out of it, then another. A near-identical creature to what Cassandra was fighting dragged itself out of the blackness. This one was focused on her, and Holli tried to stagger backwards, slipping on the ice. She reached out for some fallen brick nearby, hurling it at the creature, which easily dodged it, more agile than she would have thought.

    A sword suddenly burst through its chest, and it disintegrated. Cassandra was there, lowering her blade.

    "What the hell was that!?" Holli breathed out, trying to stop herself from hyperventilating.

    "A demon," she replied casually, sheathing her sword. "You do not have them?"

    "Not really. Again, fiction. Or... well, some religious people think they''re real, but there''s no proof of it."

    The woman made a thoughtful noise before continuing on. How she kept such sure footing on the ice, Holli had no idea. She sort of shuffled and slid until she reached the snow and rocks, far less gracefully than Cassandra.

    "Should we encounter more, which undoubtedly we will, stay back; keep yourself safe."

    Holli nodded. She didn''t have to be told twice. She was no warrior.

 Chapter 3

    "We are getting closer to the rift. You can hear the fighting," Cassandra told her. "When we get up there, stay back until it is safe."

    Holli nodded, tired from the trek. Her physical fitness wasn''t the best. At school, it was the one class she couldn''t excel at. But neither did Ginny Pike, at least.

    When they topped the rise, Holli stopped walking. There was a group of people fighting a bunch of demons, a glowing green rift between them. Cassandra ran ahead, muttering a ''stay here'' as she passed. As if Holli hadn''t already heard her before and agreed.

    Holli watched the rift; being this close was making her hand tingle, and she held it out of the cloak so she could see it. The light was the same colour as the rift, a sickening green, like the evil magic in Disney movies.

    She looked back to the rift, wondering if the magic¡ªman, did it feel stupid to be calling it that¡ªimbued into her hand was even capable of closing it. And if it was a rift to another world, could one of them lead her back to her own world? Should she be trying to jump through it rather than close it? But demons came from it, so this one probably didn''t lead to her world.

    "Holli! Quickly!" Cassandra called.

    Holli refocused on the battle, realising it had ended and they were waiting for her. Holli jumped down and ran to them, a bald-headed man taking her hand and raising it up to the rift. It felt like something was being pulled out of her through her hand; she could feel it all the way down to her toes. It made her heart pound, made it difficult to breathe. She tried to pull back, and when she did, it felt like something clicked into place, and then the rift exploded into nothing.

    Breathing heavily, she looked up to the bald man, opening and closing her fist in an attempt to stop the tingling. She noted his ears were long and pointed, like an elf''s, and he was so tall...

    She could only stare up at him, unsure what to do or say. There was a sense of calm and peace about the man, soothing her own frayed nerves.

    "Are you all right?" He asked gently.

    Something about his voice reminded her of the feeling she''d get when she was wrapped up cozily inside while a storm raged outside.

    "Y-yeah, I guess."

    "Did it hurt?" He took her hand in his, checking over the mark.

    "Stung a little, no biggie."

    "No biggie?"

    "No big deal," she gave a one-shouldered shrug.

    "No big deal? If my theories are correct, you hold the key to our salvation."

    Her eyes narrowed while she took a moment to pick that apart. She didn''t like the sound of that at all.

    "Good to know."

    Holli looked over to the voice, a little person with a crossbow almost as big as he was. A dwarf and an elf¡ªChrist, she was in her own Lord of the Rings.

    "Here I thought we''d be ass-deep in demons forever," he said.

    He looked up from where he was adjusting his sleeve, taking her in before smiling and heading towards her.

    "Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong," he greeted.

    "Holiday Whitlock: ...Nobody, really."

    "If that were ever true, it definitely isn''t now," he chuckled.

    Holli shivered¡ªmostly from the cold, but a little from his words¡ªand pulled her cloak tighter around her.

    "My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I''m pleased to see you still live."

    "He means, ''I kept that mark¡ªand your bleeding wounds¡ªfrom killing you while you slept.''"

    "So you know about it? Do you know how to remove it? Do you know how I can get home?"

    "Solas is an apostate," Cassandra told her, as if that answered that.

    "I don''t understand what being a heretic has to do with this," Holli replied.

    "An apostate is a mage who is not a part of the Circle," Solas informed her.

    "What Circle?"

    "Where have you been, kid? Rebel Mages, the cruelty and control of the Circles and the Chantry, are all anyone''s been talking about these days."

    Holli just shrugged, unsure what to say.

    "I''m sorry, I do not know how to remove the mark or how to get you home. Much of my time has been spent trying to keep you alive and figure out just how you came to be here."

    "Got anything on that? Wouldn''t mind an answer to it myself."

    "Not yet. The magic involved here is unlike any I have seen," he said, this time talking more to Cassandra than Holli. "Though young Holiday is a mage, I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power, despite her origins."

    "Wait, what? I''m not a mage. That''s impossible."

    They all looked to her at that. Cassandra with a glaring accusation.

    "Mages are everywhere, kid, not that impossible."

    "They aren''t where I come from. Magic isn''t real; mages do not exist," she said firmly. "I can''t be one. I''ve never done anything magical in my life. You must be mistaken."

    Solas shook his head, almost with something that looked like sympathy. He offered her his staff.

    "Tell me what you feel."

    She hesitantly took it, not sure where this was going. She held it a moment; her hands were so cold and numb it was difficult to feel anything.

    "It''s vibrating, like the wood is... humming... and cold, inside," she frowned down at it.

    "That hum you feel is the magic the staff has been imbued with. It is connecting to your magic so you may use it. No one but a mage would feel it."

    Holli shook her head and shoved the staff at him. "No," she said again. "The mark must have done something to me."

    "That is not how it works."

    "I''m from another world; there''s a hole in the sky, and my hand glows with magic. None of this is meant to be how it works." Her voice was tinged with something bordering on hysteria.

    Varric chuckled. "She''s got you there. Well, shall we press on? Hole in the sky to close, demons to slay."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    "Absolutely not," Cassandra said. "Your help is appreciated, Varric." She sounded like she was chewing glass as she said it. "But¡ª"

    "Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren''t in control anymore. You need me. The kid doesn''t look like much of a fighter; the more people protecting her, the better. She dies; we''re all dead."

    Christ, that was a fuck ton of pressure; she didn''t like that at all.

    Cassandra let out a grunt of disgust before turning away from him, deciding the fight with him must not have been worth it.

    "We must get to the forward camp quickly."

    She stalked off, obviously expecting to be followed. Solas did so; Holli was reluctant. She wanted to hover by the burning rubble and try to get some feeling back into her fingers.

    "Well, shall we?" Varric looked up at her with a smile that seemed far too carefree given the situation.

    "I don''t think there''s much of a choice," she muttered, falling into step beside him.

    -

    Holli tried to hide how out of breath the trek through the valley and up the mountains was making her. God, physical fitness was never her strength. The other three around her, walking and doing all the fighting, were absolutely fine, walking, talking, and breathing as if this were nothing more than a Sunday stroll. Cassandra, with her armour and shield and sword swinging, didn''t seem the least bit bothered by it.

    One good thing about the exertion, she supposed, was that it was keeping her warm enough to not go fetal on the ground to curl up and die from the cold.

    Varric kept making conversation, nothing too heavy, small talk mostly, trying to keep things light. Replying to him made it really hard to hide how unfit she was.

    Varric chuckled, stopping in his tracks. "Do you need us to stop, kid? Take a breather?"

    Holli stopped as well, hands on hips, trying to discreetly catch her breath. "Not at... all," she puffed out. "Why do you...ask?"

    Varric laughed again. "You''re painful to watch."

    "Try being... the one dying." She raised her face to the sky, trying to find the best position to allow the most oxygen.

    "It''s not much farther; you can rest a moment when we get there. Just at the top of this hill."

    "You mean mountain."

    "No, I really don''t," Cassandra replied, giving her the side eye.

    Holli followed the trio. Her school shoes were not made for climbing rocky, snowy mountains. She hoped she wasn''t going to get frostbite. As they neared the top, they could hear the sound of battle, and the mark on Holli''s hand started to tingle the closer they got. Another rift? Which meant the fighting must have been against demons.

    "When we get up there, stay back and try not to draw their notice."

    Holli nodded. There wasn''t much else she could do.

    When they got up there, the three fighters entered the fray while Holli half hid behind a tree. The demons were preoccupied with the soldiers, so she watched the rift. She hadn''t really gotten a good look at the last one. The mark on her hand was beyond tingling now; it felt burning cold and pulled her towards the rift. What was the range on it, she wondered?

    She reached out, trying to replicate what happened with the first rift. She felt the pull, but not the connection. Surveying the fight, she decided she could creep a bit closer through the trees. They didn''t go all the way to the rift, but they did go closer than she was now.

    Darting from tree to bush to tree, she shuffled as close as she could; behind each bit of cover, she would try again, hoping to get an idea of distance. It was at the last tree she finally connected with the rift. From this distance it nearly pulled her off her feet. With everything in her, she pulled back, trying to remember how it felt the first time so she could do it again, maybe even with a bit more ease. But that first time had happened so fast, and she had been too thrown to really pay attention and analyse.

    The rift seemed to explode outward, but-

    "Fuck..."

    It hadn''t closed. It looked different, but it was still there. However, the demons around them had collapsed; they looked disoriented. They weren''t attacking anyway, and the warriors took advantage of that, striking them down.

    "Close it now!" Solas called to her.

    Holli tried again; it felt different this time, less... aggressive might be the right word, like the rift wasn''t fighting back as hard. This time, when the light died, the rift was gone.

    "It didn''t close the first time I tried," she said, gauging the metres between her and where the rift had hovered. Six or seven maybe.

    "I suspect it cannot while the demons that came through it are still here," Solas told her. "Come."

    She followed him through the gates to the camp. It had been set up on a bridge. Given what happened to her and Cassandra on a bridge earlier, this didn''t seem smart. And it was a much farther drop from what she could see.

    There were some people surrounding a small campfire, and she longed to join them for its warmth, but the glares and suspicion they cast her way made her think twice.

    Up ahead she could see Leliana talking with a man in a stupid hat with a sour look on his face.

    "Ah, here they come." His voice dripped venom as he glared at her too.

    "Chancellor Roderick, this is¡ª" Leliana began.

    "I know who she is," he spat, cutting her off. "As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution."

    Holli felt her stomach churn, nausea making her want to throw up. He wanted to execute her!? She subconsciously shifted further behind Cassandra, and she noticed Varric step between her and Roderick as well, Solas tensing up beside her as if ready for a fight.

    "''Order me?''" The absolute revulsion in her tone would have amused Holli at any other time. "You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!"

    "And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!"

    Had they always disliked each other, or was this asshole just good at rubbing people the wrong way?

    "We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor, as you well know."

    Religion was a scary thing in this world too, she supposed. Was there anywhere it didn''t kill people?

    "Justinia is dead. We must elect a replacement and obey her orders on the matter! Call a retreat, Seeker; our position here is hopeless."

    "We can stop this before it''s too late."

    "How? You won''t survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all your soldiers."

    "We must get to the temple," she pressed.

    "No. Listen to me. Abandon this now before more lives are lost."

    The Breach flared up, the sound deafening. Holli could feel it in her hand, the cold burn, and she hissed at the pain, biting on her tongue as she doubled over and cradled her hand against her stomach. The glow was so bright it could be seen easily through her cloak. Her hand kept sparking, whatever was happening lasting longer than the other times. Everyone was staring at her, Solas and Varric concerned, Roderick suspicious, and the two women blank-faced.

    It was getting worse. With everything going on, she had forgotten this was killing her too. As insane as it sounded to her, execution was actually the least of her worries. She probably wouldn''t survive long enough for one.

    Cassandra must have suspected the same, turning towards Leliana.

    "Leliana, bring everyone left in the valley. Everyone."

    Holli, Solas, and Varric followed Cassandra as she pressed on, ignoring the parting jab from the Chancellor about consequences.

    -

    Solas watched the girl, had been watching the girl since she joined them at the rift.

    She was a bit of an enigma. He was well aware other worlds existed, inaccessible even by Eluvian. So just how had she appeared? Why had a rift opened for her? And how was she connected to the anchor?

    The moment the explosion had happened, he was on his way. When he''d heard tell of a survivor, he''d wanted to see them immediately. He had not been expecting a child barely clinging to life.

    Adan had been having trouble; his potions and tinctures just weren''t enough. Solas had been able to heal her, removing the small metal objects that caused the damage in the first place; they were like nothing he''d seen. But then the mark on her hand was also killing her. He''d had to call on magics he''d not used in millennia to save her.

    It was during his attempts to stop the spread he had realised she was a mage. He could feel her own magic, trying to fight the damage, but it was so weak, depleted. Even after days of unconsciousness, her magic had barely recovered, which in itself was odd. He was not at full strength himself since waking. He''d feared his own magic might not be enough. Thankfully, he had managed, surprisingly with the help of her own. Her magic was unlike what he was accustomed to. He wasn''t sure if it had a mind of its own or if it merely acted upon her unconscious desire to be saved, to live.

    Eventually he had reached a point where she would not die without him, so he was better able to study the rifts and their connection to the mark on her hand and put some distance between them, giving her own magic time to settle and recover.

    He was glad to see she could close rifts, and he was certain it would work on the Breach. His concern was whether or not they had the power to do it. Though the Anchor was powerful, it was being wielded by a child, a depleted mage who didn''t even realise she had magic until he''d told her.

    He just didn''t understand how she came to be there, how she was the one with the Anchor, and what happened to Corypheus. He believed her that she didn''t know anything. Much as she tried to keep herself under control, every now and then he could see in her eyes the poor girl was drowning, lost, and confused.

    Though he was livid the Anchor had ended up on this inept and ignorant child, he could hardly blame her. He suspected something else was at play here; he just didn''t know what or why they would drag her into it.

    When they had time, he would like to question her, find out more about her circumstances leading up to the explosion.

    She suddenly slipped on a rock, and he grabbed her arm, keeping her from falling.

    "Thank you," she mumbled, her cheeks colouring further in embarrassment. They were already red from the cold.

    He cast a quick spell her way, something to help her bear the cold because clearly she was not coping well with it.

    "This should help," he said.

    He saw her body sag with relief a moment, the tension draining just a little. Her teeth even stopped chattering. She gave him a smile brimming with gratitude.

    The cold really must have been bothering her.

 Chapter 4

    More climbing.

    Given these were quite possibly the last hours of her life, she was a bit miffed she was spending them climbing a cold arse mountain. And considering she was quite possibly dying, she would have thought she would be more... upset about it. Maybe even throw herself down on the ground in a good old-fashioned tantrum or beg God for some last-minute miracle or more time. She was strangely calm.

    Because this might not be real anyway? Or maybe she was just... overloaded. If this was real, so much had happened, and she''d had no time to process it. Not to mention the parts she knew were real, like Katie, and getting shot herself. Those were traumatic situations. Maybe she was in some kind of shock. A psychotic break, and she was hallucinating?

    At least partway up, the rocky path became stairs. It made small difference to the burning muscles in her legs. They started seeing people too, some of them injured, others treating them. There was an air of defeat and misery over everyone. Exhaustion, fatigue, and a lack of hope, she guessed. There were bodies too, some of them wrapped in cloth and tied with rope, others not yet. There was a man doing so, his face grim while he tended to the dead.

    Would this be what the halls and classrooms at her school were like after the shooter was done there?

    "Holiday?"

    Though Solas''s voice was soft and gentle, she jumped at the sound. She hadn''t realised she had stopped walking and was staring.

    "Sorry," she muttered, hurrying to catch up. "Holli. Everyone just calls me Holli."

    He nodded; a small smile rested on one corner of his lips. "Holli."

    She felt the familiar tingle in her hands and knew they were approaching a rift. Sure enough, the sounds of battle carried out to them as they climbed the stairs.

    "Wait until it''s safe," Cassandra ordered.

    Holli nodded, trying to take shelter from the wind beneath the ruined archway they passed through. Her teeth were chattering again, and everything felt wet: her shoes, her clothes, her cloak, her hair. She was probably going to get pneumonia. Were they even able to treat that here?

    Whatever spell Solas had cast on her at the beginning of their climb had worn off, or perhaps it wasn''t strong enough to fight this deeper cold.

    She watched the three run in, Varric and Solas keeping demons from overwhelming Cassandra. There were other soldiers around too, the elf and dwarf doing their best to have their backs as well.

    As they took more ground, wiping out the demons between her and the rift, she moved closer. She still kept a safe distance, but she wanted to be able to reach the rift quickly and close it once it was clear.

    It didn''t take them long to manage it, and she ran forward, skidding a little on the stones as she raised her hand and closed the rift. It was getting a little easier at least, though no less painful.

    "Sealed, as before. You are becoming quite proficient at this," Solas commended, his words flooding her chest with warmth.

    "Let''s hope it works on the big one," Varric added.

    Holli didn''t know if she wanted it to work or not. If it didn''t, maybe she wouldn''t die. But then, it was the mark killing her, not necessarily the Breach.

    "Lady Cassandra."

    The group looked towards a tall blonde warrior walking their way. Holy crap he was kinda hot.

    "You managed to close the rift," he said, clearly relieved.

    "Do not congratulate me, Commander. This is Holli''s doing."

    They both looked to her, and she gave an awkward wave before wrapping her cloak tighter around her. Was there a blizzard coming?

    "Is it?" His eyes were piercing and exhausted. "I hope they''re right about you. We''ve lost a lot of people getting you here."

    A part of her bristled at his words. She hadn''t asked them to. The other part just felt guilty. What if it was all for nothing?

    "Sorry," she muttered, her eyes dropping to his boots.

    "No I- it wasn''t an accusation." He looked to Cassandra and cleared his throat awkwardly. "The way to the temple is clear. Leliana will try to meet you there."

    "Then we best move quickly. Give us time, Commander."

    "Maker watch over you¡ªfor all our sakes," he said, turning away to help his injured soldiers.

    The way ahead was shrouded in snow and smoke and dust, but she could see jagged rocks jutting up and out of it, the faint glow of the Breach where it stretched down to the earth.

    They dropped down to the ground below, where there were the remains of people. They were burnt, on their hands and knees, some of them still aflame. She had never seen anything like it outside of movies and video games. Why were they still so intact while everything else was near destroyed?

    "The Temple of Sacred Ashes," Solas told her.

    "What''s left of it..." Varric added.

    Cassandra pointed to a spot near a half-collapsed wall. "That is where you fell out of the Fade, and our soldiers found you. They say a figure was in the rift behind you. No one knows who it was."

    "What did the figure look like?" She asked, veering off to check out the spot Cassandra had indicated. It was just broken stone, some bones... Nothing special about it. It was easier to focus on the stones and bones than the still-burning people, at least. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "They say it was glowing; beyond that, they couldn''t make out anything else."

    "What room was here before the explosion?" And if she had anything to do with the forming of the Breach, why did she appear here, so far away from it?

    "I don''t know," Cassandra replied.

    Holli looked to Solas and Varric.

    "Sorry, kid, I never set foot in this place before it was destroyed."

    "Nor I," Solas replied.

    "Come."

    The three followed Cassandra deeper into the ruins, down some stairs. Given the explosion had been powerful enough to tear a hole in the sky, she was surprised as much had remained intact as it was.

    When the foot of the Breach came into view, she froze, staring at it in awe. Her eyes followed the magic all the way up. They were under the Breach now, and the tingling in her hand was more like having metal shards repeatedly stabbing into her skin and muscle and bone. She gave it a shake, hoping to ease it and ultimately failing.

    There was another rift connected to the Breach, but this one was different, and there were no demons around. Was it a trap? How clever were demons? So far they didn''t strike her as particularly cunning.

    "The Breach is a looong way up," Varric pointed out.

    How was she supposed to reach that? She figured she had about a six metre range with her hand.

    "You''re here. Thank the Maker."

    They turned to see Leliana with a contingent of soldiers behind her, armoured and armed. Leliana jogged over to them.

    "Leliana, have your men take up positions around the temple," Cassandra told her.

    The other woman nodded, heading back to her people to dish out orders. Cassandra came to stand before Holli, blocking her view of the rift.

    "This is your chance to end this. Are you ready?"

    "As I''ll ever be, I guess. What''s the plan to get me up there?"

    "We do not need to. This rift was the first, and it is the key. Seal it, and perhaps we seal the Breach," Solas told them.

    "Then let''s find a way down. And be careful."

    They surveyed the scene before them, managing to find a bit of a winding path through the rocks that would at least get them closer if not all the way.

    "Now is the hour of our victory."

    Holli flinched at the deep voice that boomed out across the pit they were in. They all looked around, searching for a source. Cassandra had even drawn her sword, expecting an attack.

    "Bring forth the sacrifice."

    "What are we hearing?" Cassandra asked.

    "At a guess, the person who created the Breach," Solas replied.

    At least it didn''t sound like her. They pressed on, Holli''s attention grabbed by huge, glowing red crystals protruding from the stone. They were bigger than she was. Hell, they were taller than Solas. She reached out to touch one before Varric roughly pulled her back.

    "Don''t touch it." He looked to Cassandra. "That''s red Lyrium, Seeker."

    "I see it, Varric."

    "But what''s it doing here?"

    "Magic could have drawn on Lyrium beneath the temple, corrupting it."

    "It''s evil." Varric gave Holli a warning look. "Whatever you do, don''t touch it."

    She nodded, taking a few steps back from it. Was Varric just being paranoid, or was he right?

    "What is Lyrium?"

    "It is a mineral that forms underground. It also grows in the Fade and links our world to it. Raw lyrium is dangerous to touch and usually blue. Avoid it if you ever come across it. But properly refined, it can be a mage''s best friend," Solas told her.

    "I have so many questions for you, kid. What kind of world did you come from?"

    "If I live through this, I''ll tell you all about it."

    His face fell for just a moment, a look of pity flashing across it before he smiled to cover it up.

    "We can do it over a drink. I have a feeling we''ll need it when this is over."

    Holli grinned back. Her experience with alcohol was limited, mostly because she was afraid of turning into her mother. But she had been to the odd party where she''d gotten a bit buzzed. She wouldn''t mind getting absolutely sloshed if she came out the other side of this.

    "Varric." Cassandra''s tone was chiding, but she was cut off from any further reprimand by the disembodied voice.

    "Keep the sacrifice still."

    "Someone! Help me!"

    "That is Divine Justinia''s voice..."

    It seemed pretty obvious she was the sacrifice the other guy was talking about. What Holli didn''t understand was where she fit into all this.

    There was a big drop down to the ground below, way too high for Holli. She stood at the edge, looking around for some kind of incline she could slide down. Below her, Solas noticed, and he reached his arms up, a gesture for her to jump. She bit her lip, eventually sitting on the edge and scooting over until she slid off. He did catch her at least, setting her on the ground. What a gentleman.

    "Thank you. Again."

    He merely inclined his head with that same gentle smile on his face.

    They made their way towards the rift; this one was much bigger than the others. Her hands started sparking as they got closer to it, and the light around the rift became almost blinding.

    When it died down, they could see a shadowy figure with red glowing eyes. Holli tensed. Was this an attack? It took her a second to realise it wasn''t.

    "Bring forth the sacrifice."

    An elderly woman suddenly appeared, roughly shoved forward by unseen assailants. She was quickly bound and lifted by magic as she called for help. The shadowy figure started to raise its hand, and then Holli appeared out of thin air, her arm outstretched towards something.

    Holli watched herself, blood all over her, disoriented, barely able to stand. Her hand was holding something, and light was growing from it. Then she started to fall.

    "No! Stop!" The male voice cried out, urgency and anger in the command.

    And then the light flashed; it felt like it burnt her retinas. She squeezed her eyes shut and looked away. When she looked back, it was all gone. Holli had only been there for a second, maybe less than a second. And everything had gone to shit.

    Cassandra grabbed Holli by the shoulder, whirling her around to face her. "You were there! Who attacked? And the Divine, is she...? Was this vision true? What are we seeing?

    "I don''t know."

    Had Cassandra seen Holli''s condition in that vision? That she had been there less than a second? Holli had no memory of this. How had she appeared there like that, seemingly out of nowhere? Like magic...

    "Echoes of what happened here. The Fade bleeds into this place," Solas told them. He turned back to face them. "This rift is not sealed, but it is closed... albeit temporarily. I believe that with the mark, the rift can be opened and then sealed properly and safely. However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side."

    "That means demons." Cassandra''s voice rang out to the soldiers taking up position around them. "Stand ready!"

    Cassandra looked to her. "Once you have opened the rift, get somewhere safe until we have dealt with them."

    Holli nodded, taking a calming breath. Closing this rift could very well kill her, possibly waking her up in her own world. She stepped closer to it, looking around as everyone drew their weapons. When Cassandra gave her a nod, Holli tore the rift open.

    "Come on, kid," Varric said.

    She looked down to see Varric tugging her hand. She let him pull her away, and they ran a safe distance from the rift. He found an outcropping of rocks he shoved her behind.

    "Stay down."

    Holli watched him as he fiercely guarded her little hidey hole, which was actually kind of warm. The warmest little spot she''d found since waking up in this hellhole. Varric fired off a few more arrows at what she couldn''t see. But the roar that bellowed out vibrated in her bones.

    The roar sounded again, a lot closer this time, and she peeked her head out.

    "What the fuck...?" The creature was huge, with spiked skin and lightning whip-looking powers. Was this also a demon? Definitely didn''t look like the green ghost things or the weird, wiggly, dark ones.

    "Stay down!" Varric barked at her. She quickly ducked back behind her rock.

    She wasn''t sure how long it took before he told her to close the rift, but once he gave her the all clear, she ran out, nearly slipping over on the stones, and closed the rift.

    This one fought back, though, not unlike when she''d tried to close one while demons were still about. She felt something start to give, and she wasn''t sure if it was her or the rift.

    And then it broke.

 Chapter 5

    "Is she...?" Varric was hesitant to say the word.

    "Alive," Solas replied from where he knelt by her prone form.

    Varric watched him examine her, checking her mark. The Breach was still in the sky, but it was different, calmer. And no longer shooting demons and fade debris all over the place.

    "Her mark appears to have stabilised, as has the Breach," Solas said. "We must get her back to Haven."

    Varric nodded as Solas picked her up. The dwarf reached up, wrapping her tightly in her cloak. He''d noticed her struggle against the cold.

    It would be a long trek back to the village, but the air about them all was different, hopeful and relieved. Though the Breach remained, there were a few smiles among them. It wasn''t a complete victory, but it was a hard-won victory, and one they had so desperately needed. This would give everyone time to rest, assess, and process. It felt like they could finally take a moment to breathe.

    Once in Haven she was taken to the nearest empty home. Solas stayed with her while Varric went to fetch Adan. He figured the Seeker was busy with the others trying to come up with the next step. That woman was driven and iron-willed.

    "Master Adan," Varric greeted as he entered the healer''s hut. "We are in need of your services."

    The man heaved a long-suffering sigh before handing the dwarf a box of potions and medicaments. "Carry this. I''m assuming this is to do with the child."

    "It is."

    Adan picked up a bag and his notebook before following Varric outside. "What''s wrong with her?"

    "She''s unconscious. Honestly, that seems to be the extent of the problem, but just in case..."

    Adan entered the home where Solas was tending to Holli, her saturated shoes and socks on the floor beside the bed.

    "She has superficial frostbite on her fingers, toes, and ears," Solas told him. "Other than that, she appears fine. I suspect unconsciousness was brought on by the magical backlash and the strain of wielding such powerful magic. And possibly her exhaustion."

    "Frostbite, eh. Finally, a normal problem from the girl."

    Varric chuckled at the gruff man''s words. True enough.

    Solas watched the man work. He''d not examined her ears when he''d been healing her before; there''d been no need, and he''d been preoccupied with her more critical injuries. Her ears were pointed. It had been a little difficult to tell given the amount of metal she had in them, but sure enough, they weren''t entirely human.

    Though most half-elves looked predominantly human, occasionally they bore some elven characteristics. Her ears were in no way like his own, like any full-blooded elf. But he was certain she was half elven. During Varric''s questions on their trek, she''d said they didn''t have elves in her world. Or magic. What she was contradicted both those assertions. It was possible she just didn''t know...

    Once Adan left, Solas and Varric gave the girl some privacy while they had an elven woman change her out of her wet clothes and into something warm and dry. While that was being done, Cassandra and Leliana arrived to check her status.

    "Still out cold," Varric told them.

    "I suspect she won''t be up for some time," Solas added.

    "So where do we go from here?"

    The two women exchanged a glance; clearly, whatever was going on, they were not going to make Varric and Solas privy to it just yet.

    "The Breach is still there; we must find a way to seal it completely. Thoughts?" Leliana looked to Solas.

    "I believe she couldn''t close it because she just doesn''t have enough power. No one person does."

    "So we need to get her more power."

    Solas gave a nod. "But this is just theory. I could be mistaken."

    "It''s something," Cassandra said.

    "Any theories on who the attacker was in that vision?" Varric asked.

    "No. His voice was completely unfamiliar."

    The elf exited Holli''s room. "She''s still asleep, but she''s dry and warming up, already looking better." With that, she was gone.

    Varric entered the room. Holli had been changed and tucked into bed. She was a tiny little thing, her long black hair splayed across the pillow, her little form bundled up with blankets. She had some ointment on the edges of her ears for the frostbite. Adan said that should heal them quickly.

    "So the mark is no longer killing her?" Varric asked, wanting to be sure.

    "No. How long that will last, I don''t know."

    Varric was relieved she would be all right for now. It bought them time at least, time they could use to remove this mark from her.

    "That''s still a relief."

    Solas nodded.

    "How do you think she got here?"

    "I am at a loss. She says she comes from a world without magic, and she had no idea she was a mage. Yet magic had to have brought her here."

    Varric set Bianca down, leaning her against the foot of the bed before pulling up a chair and taking a seat, resting his feet on it.

    "I''ll stay with her, keep an eye on her."

    Solas nodded. "Call for me if anything happens."

    "Will do."

    -

    Holli sat up, a cry dying on her lips, gasping for breath, shaking hands feeling her chest for blood. A hand on her shoulder had her jumping, eyes wide.

    "You''re safe, little bird."

    He watched the wild look in her eyes dissipate as awareness set in.

    "Varric..." She said, sitting up and scrubbing her hands down her face, wincing at the bright light in one of them.

    "I''m going to pretend the disappointment in your tone doesn''t hurt," he told her, his smile letting her know he wasn''t serious.

    "Sorry. It''s nothing personal; I''d just hoped that... That the next time I woke up, I''d be in my own world."

    "Fair enough." The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Did- did someone dress me?" She asked, looking down at herself.

    "They did. It was a woman, if that makes you feel less violated."

    "You''d think so, but not really..." She drew her knees up, looking around the place. "So, did it work? Is the Breach closed?"

    "No. But it is stabilised; it''s no longer growing or spitting out demons."

    She looked at the mark on her hand, opening and closing her fist a couple of times. "It feels different. So am I to be carted off for execution now?"

    "I don''t think the Seeker would let that happen. They still need you to close the Breach after all."

    She gave him a wry look. "So what you''re saying is as long as the Breach is open and I''m still needed, they won''t execute me? Not much incentive to close the Breach then, is it?"

    Varric chuckled.

    "How long have I been out?"

    "Three days."

    "What!?" Her big blue eyes widened with shock. "Are you fucking with me?"

    "I am not, no. Closing that rift, it really took it out of you. Solas said it completely depleted your magic, which was already too low to begin with. And the magical backlash knocked you right out."

    "I don''t have magic." It sounded almost pouty.

    Varric figured it was probably best not to pursue that. Until she managed to use her magic, he doubted she would ever believe it.

    "Well, if they''re not going to execute me, what is going to happen now?"

    "Cassandra brought your things."

    He gestured to a pile on the floor at the end of the bed she had yet to notice. It was her school bag and the duffel with all her camp shit. There was blood on both. Hers she guessed. She repressed a shudder, shaking what little memory she had of being shot away. School shootings were meant to be an American thing.

    She got off the bed, a little shaky, so much so that Varric got off his chair to help steady her.

    "Thanks."

    She crouched beside her bag, zipping it open and digging around inside. Surprisingly, not much blood had seeped into the bag, just on her top layer of clothes.

    "I am about to share something with you, Varric. Something I value very highly and of which I only have few," she said, her tone deathly serious.

    "It''s not a secret, is it? I''m not sure I want any more of those."

    "No, far better than a secret," she replied, revealing her prize.

    Varric just frowned, unsure what it was.

    "Damn, so you don''t have them here then."

    "What is it?"

    "A Snickers," she replied, unwrapping the chocolate bar, breaking it in half, and holding the second piece out for him as she poorly ahhhed the sound of a holy choir.

    He chuckled as he took the piece. He inspected it carefully, even sniffed it first.

    "Yum yum," she urged him, taking a bite of her own. Her eyes slipped closed, and she sat on the floor, leaning against the bed. She really needed this. Not just for the hunger¡ªshe apparently hadn''t eaten in days¡ªbut also for the stress.

    "It''s certainly chewy."

    "Good chewy."

    "Good chewy," he agreed. "It''s pretty damn good."

    "So damn good."

    "Food from another world..."

    "Just think, the first in your world to eat otherworldly food."

    They chewed in silence, grinning at each other. Good, he liked it; it wasn''t wasted on him then. After finishing her half, she was tempted to eat another. But she really did only have a few; she needed to ration them. She had a wealth of other junk food in there, but again, she needed to ration it. She was so fucking hungry, though.

    Their silence was interrupted as a young woman entered the cabin holding a box. At the sight of Holli, she dropped the box, sputtering apologies and something about Seeker Pentagast wanting to see her at once. The girl seemed almost terrified of Holli as she scurried out the door.

    "What was that?" She asked Varric, bewildered.

    "That is what happens when someone is being lauded as touched by Divinity."

    "What?"

    "They''re calling you the Herald of Andraste. They''ve decided it was a woman behind you in the rift, Andraste herself sending you here to save us."

    "Who the hell is Andraste?"

    Varric gave a dry chuckle and shook his head. "Try not to ask that in front of the masses. Get dressed, little bird; I''ll see about getting you some water to clean up with."

    He left her alone then. Little bird?

    She''d never had a nickname before. Curtis called her bruvs; she called him bruvs too sometimes. But they both called all their friends bruvs, it was more a term of endearment than a nickname.

    She wasn''t sure if she should be offended by litte bird or not; they were fragile and useless. It grated on her that it wasn''t entirely inaccurate. She couldn''t fight; she''d struggled to climb the mountain, and this whole world was unknown to her.

    The affection in his voice as he said it, though, that warmed her to him. Incentive enough not to be offended by it, she supposed.

    Holli pulled out some clothes, clean underwear, a pair of jeans, her black thermal top, and her pea coat and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her snow boots and woollen socks. Water arrived in short order, and she was able to brush her hair¡ªmatted mess that it was¡ªand then pull on her pink woollen hat with the big fluffy pompoms. With that done, she slapped on some lip balm and headed outside, wrapping her scarf around her neck. She felt much more like a person than she had the last time she''d been awake. A shower would be nice, though.

    Outside, she froze at the sight of all the people. They looked up at her almost as one as she exited the house. They stared. She stared back. Was she supposed to do something? Were they going to attack? Too quiet for an angry mob...

    "Come on, kid."

    Varric seemingly materialised out of thin air beside her.

    "What is going on?" She asked quietly.

    "Manipulation of the masses," he replied, just as quietly. "Could work in our favour, though. Chantry is this way."

    She shoved her hands into her pockets and followed a step behind him. The people were lining the streets, and every now and then she''d hear a whisper or hushed comment about her. There was a sense of awe in some of them that made her ridiculously uncomfortable and a scepticism in a few that made her wary.

    They reached the Chantry, and she recognised it as the building she had been held prisoner in; she remembered Cassandra practically dragging her out of it. She hesitated at the entrance.

    "It''s not a trap, I promise," Varric chuckled.

    She looked down at him, weighing up his words. He seemed sincere.

    "Would they tell you if it was?" She asked softly, stepping inside.

    "No," he grinned.

    He walked her to the door at the end of the room where they could hear voices inside, and not happy ones.

    "Here is where I leave you. When you''re done, though, come find me; I promised you a drink."

    "Will do, if I get out of here alive."

    Varric chuckled as he walked away.

    -

    Varric looked up from where he was poking at the fire; he felt a presence arrive beside him. It was the kid, shuffling closer to the fire and holding her hands towards it. She looked so much younger and smaller out in the daylight. But at least she seemed to be coping with the cold better in those clothes. Her hat was ridiculous.

    "How are you not freezing your arse off?" She asked, looking him up and down sceptically.

    "I''ll admit it''s cold, but I''m a dwarf. We''re hardy."

    "So it is ''dwarf,'' not ''little person''?"

    "What?" He asked, barking a surprised laugh.

    "Where I come from, the PC term is ''little person.'' Unless they changed it, what''s PC changes quite often."

    "You ever call me a little person, I''m not sharing my drink with you. We''re dwarves here, Children of the Stone."

    He turned to his tent, going inside and pulling out a flask¡ªhis emergency stash. It was swill, but it was powerful.

    "So how was it?" He asked, taking a swig before offering it to her.

    "All good, all good," she replied, taking a drink. She cringed as it hit her tongue, and once she''d swallowed it down, she started coughing. "Bloody hell, is this turpentine?"

    Varric laughed at her dramatics.

    "I figured this situation called for the hard stuff, not the good stuff."

    "You don''t have something that''s both?"

    "Not for free," he grinned.

    She laughed a little then, handing the flask back. "Fair enough."

    "Take a seat," he told her, gesturing to the stump beside her.

    It was a little further from the fire than she would have liked, but she did as she was told.

    "I have to say, you''re taking this all remarkably well. A new world, things you''ve never seen before, a mark on your hand that could kill you, a hole in the sky you''re expected to close..."

    "Oh, I''m not taking it well at all. I''m repressing it and just hoping I''ll wake up."

    "Well, all right then." He offered the flask back to her, and she took another drink. "If you do need someone to hear you out, though..."

    She bit her lip, nodding. She doubted she''d ever take him up on it, but it was nice of him to offer.

    "What do you remember? From before you got here."

    Her last memories were not pleasant, and the question was enough to send her back there: the screams in the hall, the pops of the gunshots, Katie bursting into the bathroom covered in blood...

    Varric recognised the glazed look in her eyes; she''d gone back there. Her breathing quickened and her skin paled. It didn''t take long before she was almost gasping for breath, her chest heaving; there was a tremor to her hands. He dropped his hand heavily onto her shoulder, snapping her from it. Her eyes were wide when they fixed on him.

    "Not pleasant then," he muttered softly.

    "No, not really," her voice was almost a whisper.

    In the quiet stillness it was harder to think back on it than it had been before. It was probably a mercy there were gaps. Probably adrenaline or trauma maybe.

    "Like I said, I''m here if you need."

    "They''re starting something¡ªthey''re calling it the Inquisition. Historically, where I come from, Inquisitions haven''t been good things," she told him.

    She cast him a worried look. Given he didn''t know any of the history of her world, he couldn''t say.

    "They killed thousands, a lot of them burnt alive at the stake... Is that something they do here?"

    "I can''t say it''s never happened, but it''s certainly not common practice."

    "What about the execution of innocents en masse?"

    "Again, I can''t say it''s never happened, but it''s not common."

    "I don''t want to be the mascot for an evil cult," she told him worriedly.

    "If it comes to that, I''ll smuggle you out of here myself. We''ll start our own cult."

    She smiled at him then, a pretty smile with a hefty dose of relief. "With blackjack and hookers?"

    The reference was lost on him.

 Chapter 6

    Holli kept to herself over the next couple of days, barely leaving the little house they''d given her the use of. She had gone through her things, found her phone. Dead, of course. She had eyed her stash of junk food, resisted the temptation to eat it.

    The little house had books, none of which she could read. Though their spoken language was the same for the most part, their written language was not apparently. This dream had turned into a nightmare. She loved to read and learn; now a whole new world of books, and she couldn''t understand a word in them.

    Varric had come to visit, check in on her. She had plastered on a smile and assured him everything was fine; she was just tired from... everything. Given the ''everything'' she was going through, it was understandable, even if it wasn''t entirely true.

    She just... didn''t know what to do. She was lost. The more time passed, the harder it got to believe she would wake up in her own world. She didn''t like this place. There was no toilet, no indoor plumbing, no shower, no electricity. A maid had been assigned to her, a young elven woman who called Holli ''my lady'' no matter how many times Holli asked her not to. Her name was Rythal, and she was super helpful. She''d drawn Holli a bath, and Holli had sunk into it, completely submerged herself. She had sort of considered trying to drown herself; maybe dying here would wake her up back at home. But she couldn''t be sure, and dying to find out seemed a little risky. Rythal also brought her food and lit the fire when it went out. The woman was a Godsend.

    It was on her third day of near isolation that Cassandra had come to the little house to fetch her, finding Holli sitting on the floor with notes scattered all over. Holli had written down everything she remembered about how she had come to be here¡ªthe attack at her school, the green light. It was still so fragmented, and full of holes. She had started writing down theories as well¡ªsome more coherent than others¡ªand ideas on how she might get home. She had written down everything she knew about the multiverse theory. She doubted it applied here, but just in case... There was also the hope that once she closed the Breach properly, whatever force landed her here would be done with her and return her home, unmarked. She clung to that hope.

    "What is this?" Cassandra asked, picking up one of the papers Holli had torn from her refill pad.

    "Just ideas. Notes," Holli replied, plucking the paper out of her fingers.

    "That is your language?"

    "You can''t read it?"

    "No."

    "I can''t read your language either," Holli sighed.

    "Word is you''ve holed yourself up in here for days."

    "I''m acclimatising," she replied defensively, earning a sceptical look from the other woman. She had needed this time to absorb and come to terms with her new situation.

    "Come, we need to discuss our next steps."

    "I just assumed you would point me in a direction and send me on my way."

    "We''d at least like to offer you the illusion of choice," she replied drily, offering her hand down to her.

    Holli took it and let Cassandra easily pull her up. Before they stepped outside, Holli pulled on her jacket, hat, scarf, and snow boots. She wasn''t setting foot outside without them.

    Cassandra cast her an amused look. "You don''t much like the cold, I take it."

    "Who does?"

    Holli followed her outside and to the Chantry. The little town was alive, no more awed gawkers as she passed by. Sort of. They just weren''t all lined up to watch her at least.

    Inside the Chantry it wasn''t that much warmer, but they were out of the biting wind. She took her hands out of her pockets, shaking out the glowing one. It was almost a constant feeling of pins and needles. It bugged the hell out of her at times.

    "Does it trouble you?" Cassandra asked, more gently than she''d ever spoken to her before.

    "A little. But it''s not killing me, so..." She offered a tremulous thumbs up.

    "We take our victories where we can. What''s important is that your mark is now stable, as is the Breach. You''ve given us time, and Solas believes a second attempt might succeed provided the mark has more power. The same level of power used to open the Breach in the first place. That is not easy to come by."

    "What harm could there be in powering up something we barely understand?" She drawled sarcastically.

    "Hold on to that sense of humour."

    The pair reached the room at the end of the Chantry apparently reserved for their little meetings. It was different now than when she''d been here last. Roderick was gone for one. And the table had massive maps rolled out on it. There were other people in the room, but Holli was drawn to the maps, leaning over them, staring at them. They didn''t look familiar. Part of her had wondered, if this were all a dream, the worlds might bear a resemblance to a book she had read or a game she had played. Nothing. She couldn''t read the words on them either.

    "You''ve met Commander Cullen, leader of the Inquisition''s forces," Cassandra said, drawing her attention away from the map.

    Yeah, she remembered¡ªthe hot guy.

    "It was only for a moment on the field; I''m pleased you survived."

    Holli offered a beaming smile. "That makes one of us."

    Her half joke fell flat, drawing looks from the others, and she felt the awkward need to explain.

    "I''m not suicidal. I just... you know, hoped¡ªmaybe if I die here, I''ll wake up where I belong..." She trailed off.

    Besides, jokes about dying were pretty common where she came from.

    "Perhaps you do belong here now." Leliana, if Holli remembered correctly.

    "Of course you know Sister Leliana."

    Sister?

    "Are you a nun?"

    "Nun?"

    "A church woman; married to God, vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience..." Holli explained.

    "No, not a nun. My position here involves a degree of-"

    "She is our spymaster," Cassandra interrupted.

    "Yes, tactfully put, Cassandra."

    "And this is Lady Josephine Montilyet, our ambassador and chief diplomat."

    "A pleasure, Lady Whitlock."

    "Holli''s fine," she said, grimacing at the title. "Nice to meet everyone." She supposed.

    "I mentioned that your mark needs more power to close the Breach for good," Cassandra said.

    "Which means we must approach the rebel mages for help," Leliana said.

    "And I still disagree," Cullen said. "The Templars could serve just as well."

    "We need power, Commander," Cassandra sighed. "Enough magic poured into that mark¡ª"

    "Might destroy us all. Templars could suppress the Breach, weaken it so-"

    "Pure speculation," Leliana cut him off.

    "I was a Templar. I know what they''re capable of."

    "What is a Templar in this world?" Holli asked.

    Cullen explained the Templar Order to her¡ªtheir duty to hunt abominations, apostates, maleficar, and to watch over Circle mages. He''d had to go on a few tangents to explain what all those things were.

    If she was in for a lengthy stay here, there was a lot about this world she would probably need to know.

    "So the options are to funnel a whole heap of magical energy into me¡ªinto my hand¡ªand hope I don''t explode, or get a bunch of guys who can weaken the Breach enough I can close it on my own?"

    "Basically," Cullen said.

    "I think I''d prefer the Templars then, and since it''s my hand, I feel like I should get the most say in this..." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    "We don''t even know if it would work," Leliana reiterated.

    "Can we at least try it first? Exploding doesn''t sound like a very nice way to go."

    "It is a moot point; neither group will even speak to us yet," Josephine told them. "The Chantry has denounced the Inquisition¡ªand you, specifically."

    Holli couldn''t help the wide grin that spread across her face. "I''ve pissed off an entire church!? So, have I been declared an official enemy of the Church?"

    "Don''t look so happy about it," Cullen said.

    "Sorry," she said, still grinning. She was trying to stop.

    "Why are you so happy about it?" Cassandra asked, irritated.

    "How big is the church? Is it worldwide? Will I have ''wanted'' posters out about me? I know it''s probably not a good thing, but it''s kind of amazing. One day I''m getting murdered, the next I''m here, public enemy number one."

    "Those holes in you, when we found you... Someone had tried to kill you?" Cullen asked softly.

    The question drained her good humour. Her words had slipped out without her giving it much thought. She probably should have.

    "Sometimes kids just sort of... lose it, for reasons, then come to school and start killing their classmates. We have these weapons in my world¡ª"

    She stopped herself. There really wasn''t any need to go there. They had bows and arrows; Varric had a crossbow. No need to give them the idea of guns.

    "It doesn''t matter," she shook off the thoughts. "I''m here now, for better or worse. I''ll deal with all that other stuff when I get home."

    Maybe she''d need a therapist. Surely they made those things available to survivors of school shootings.

    "So why does the church¡ª"

    "Chantry," Leliana corrected.

    Same thing. "Why does the chantry hate me?"

    "Some are calling you the ''Herald of Andraste.'' That frightens the Chantry. The remaining clerics have declared it blasphemy, and we heretics for harbouring you."

    "Who is Andraste? Varric mentioned them the other day too."

    "I''ll get you some books; I suspect there is much you''ll need to catch up on."

    "No point; I can''t read them."

    "You''re illiterate?" Cullen asked.

    "No," she replied defensively. "I just can''t read your language."

    "I''ll find someone to teach you," Josephine told her.

    "Why are people calling me this anyway?" She asked.

    "People saw what you did at the temple, how you stopped the Breach from growing," Cassandra replied. "They''ve also heard about the figure in the rift when we first found you. They believe that was Andraste."

    "Even if we tried to stop that view from spreading¡ª"

    "Which we have not," Cassandra interrupted Leliana again.

    "The point is, everyone is talking about you."

    "Do they know I''m not from here? If we put the word out, someone out there might know how to get me home, right?"

    "We have kept your origins to ourselves for now," Leliana told her hesitantly. "It is a rather... far-fetched tale, and the deck is already stacked against us."

    "More far-fetched than a hole in the sky?"

    "A child from a world no one even knows exists? We have naught but yours and Solas''s word it''s even true. Admittedly, your clothes and manner of speaking are strange and foreign, but it''s hardly proof enough."

    "How could I possibly prove it? My phone is dead, and I didn''t bring my laptop."

    Pictures and tech from her own world might help, but there was no way to show them since they were all digital. She had a couple of her books in her duffel, but they were all in English, not their gibberish. The photos could help, though. A couple of them were medical books¡ªthe Atlas of Human Anatomy and one on basic pathology. While she was still years away from uni, she still had an interest in the medical field and liked to learn about it. It couldn''t hurt to get a jump start on things. She also took regular first aid courses when they were available.

    "That''s the point. There is no way to prove it. Your clothes and manner could be explained away as simply being of a foreign nation," Josephine told her.

    "We feel it''s for the best to keep your origins secret lest people start questioning your¡ªand our¡ªsanity. It will only hurt our reputation."

    Holli huffed out an irritated breath. "Whatever. What about finding a way home? Where are we on that front?"

    "No closer, I''m afraid," Leliana told her. "Our priority has been the Breach, and establishing the Inquisition."

    Holli glared at them. She was starting to get the feeling they weren''t going to be much help in finding her a way home, not while they needed her. And once they no longer needed her, why bother helping her? She might have to figure out her own way home.

    "Look, to some, you are a sign of hope; we want to use that to our advantage," Leliana said. "To others, you are a symbol of everything that''s gone wrong."

    She was the one in a world not her own, with a glowing magical crack on her hand and a hole in the sky she was expected to close. How was she the problem? From her side, she was dragged into this mess against her will.

    "Shouldn''t they be more focused on the stupid Breach? It''s more a threat than I am," she huffed.

    "They do know it''s a threat; they just don''t think we can stop it," Cullen told her.

    "The Chantry is telling everyone you''ll make it worse," Josephine clarified.

    "Do we know I won''t?" She asked, looking at each one of them. This was uncharted territory.

    Their silence was telling.

    "There is something you can do," Leliana offered, a slight change of subject.

    Holli was pretty sure she wasn''t going to like it.

    "A Chantry cleric by the name of Mother Giselle has asked to speak to you."

    "Why? Could it be a trap?"

    Leliana looked amused by the question. "I understand she is a reasonable sort. Perhaps she does not agree with her sisters? She is not far from here and knows those involved far better than I. Her assistance could be invaluable. You''ll find her tending to the wounded in the Hinterlands near Redcliffe."

    Holli looked to the map. "Where''s that?"

    Commander Cullen was the one to point it out for her.

    "And where are we?"

    His finger slid across the paper to a point in the mountains.

    "Oh fuck me that looks like a long way away," she muttered.

    "Language," Cassandra scolded. "And yes, a few days on foot."

    Foot. Of course. Because it would be ridiculous to hope for planes, trains, or cars. She supposed if people wanted to get anywhere quicker, they probably used horses. Holli preferred foot. She didn''t trust horses. She''d seen a few YouTube videos of people getting thrown, kicked, and trampled by them.

    "Look for other opportunities to expand the Inquisition''s influence while you are there," Cullen said, talking to Cassandra rather than her.

    Once they started talking about logistics, Holli slipped out of the room, Cassandra noticing and letting her know they would leave tomorrow morning. Holli nodded and left, slipping her beanie back on once she was outside. She hadn''t explored much of Haven, though it didn''t look like there was much to explore given its size. Still, a walk and fresh air might do her good. It all still felt so... surreal. She didn''t entirely believe it was real yet; maybe she never would. How could she?

    She took the other path, the one that didn''t lead to the house she was using. She shoved her hands into her pockets for warmth. Her gloves had been bloodstained, and she''d put them in a plastic bag along with the other bloodstained clothes. Out of sight, out of mind. All that blood had been hers.

    She didn''t usually have an issue with blood; she couldn''t if she wanted to get into the medical field. Surgeon was one path she had been considering. But her own blood, and so much of it, and recalling how it got there... it was easier to pretend it had never happened.

    She paused in her step when she saw Solas standing nearby, out in the open, his gaze directed at the Breach.

    "''Sup, Solas," she said, coming to stand beside him.

    How he could stand to be practically barefoot, she didn''t know. Magic?

    "Ah, the Chosen of Andraste, a blessed hero sent to save us all," he said, his voice wry.

    Though there had been a gentle teasing to it, she couldn''t help the way she cringed at the title.

    "Apologies," he offered lightly, noticing. "This still must be quite strange for you."

    "I think I need a stronger word than strange. Unreal maybe."

    "I assure you, it''s very real."

    "Easy for you to say."

    "I suppose it is," he said, his gaze returning to the Breach. "How old are you, Holiday?"

    "Holli. Fifteen."

    She thought she caught a flash of pity in his eyes.

    "How old are you?" She asked.

    "I stopped counting long ago."

    "I hear people start doing that after thirty," she mused. "You don''t look very old. Is that because you''re an elf? Are they immortal here?"

    "No, no they''re not. I thought you did not have elves where you come from."

    "We don''t, but we have stories and movies. Sometimes they''re immortal, sometimes they just have longevity, and in some stories they age like humans. What are they like here?"

    "Humans."

    They lapsed into silence, watching the Breach. He seemed to be lost in thought; she got the feeling he did that a lot.

    "Solas?" She asked softly.

    He looked down at her in silent question.

    "My best chance at getting home is magic, right?"

    There was no branch of science they''d discovered that could do the trick?

    "If it is possible at all, magic is your only chance."

    "Do you think it''s possible that once I close the Breach, whatever brought me here might send me back?"

    "I don''t know. Perhaps if I knew what brought you here..."

    She nodded; it had been her hope he might have more concrete answers for her.

    "I think I''m going to have to find my own way home. The Inquisition is too busy with the Breach to help me. Are there... books that might help? A specific school of magic I should start with?"

    She felt like she was drowning a little. She didn''t even know what she didn''t know. She would have to start with learning the written language of course.

    "Books, yes." He sighed. "I will stay then. Aid you how I can."

    "Were you going to leave?"

    "I am an apostate mage surrounded by Chantry forces, and unlike you, I do not have a divine mark protecting me. Cassandra has been accommodating, but you understand my caution."

    His brows furrowed as he looked at her, the implications of her situation rearing their head again.

    "Or perhaps you don''t."

    "If they try to do anything to you, I''ll just refuse to close the Breach and the rifts," she shrugged.

    A faint smile played at the corners of his lips. "You''d hold the world ransom for an apostate you barely know?"

    "Absolutely. Two birds, one stone," she grinned. "It''ll protect you and piss off the Chantry even more."

    "You take issue with the Chantry already?"

    "They took issue with me first."

    Holli didn''t trust religion at all. She''d seen the corruption, the bigotry, the way they hurt people in her own world. Yvette had been the victim of her own priest at her family''s church. Maybe Holli was just biased, but she doubted this world had it figured out. Her and Curtis had tracked down the priest''s home and totally trashed it¡ªthe outside. Eggs, toilet paper, spray painted ''Nonce'' all over it. Yvette had been pissed but happy as well. She''d never told her parents; she''d never told anyone else. This was the only justice they could get for her. Every now and again over the years they''d gone back and done it again until he''d been transferred somewhere else.

    "Thank you for staying, Solas. I promise, you won''t regret it."

    "It is not your responsibility to ensure it, Holli. Focus on more important things."

    "Like getting out of this damn cold," she muttered. "We''re heading to the Hinterlands tomorrow to meet someone. Are you coming with us?"

    He gave a nod as he ushered her off. "I will. Now go get warm."

    "Right. Laters, Solas."

    Solas watched her tiny figure disappear around the corner. With her light pink hat and coat and rainbow-coloured scarf, she was the most colourful thing in this place.

    When he''d met her on the mountain at the first rift, he''d been struck by such a sense of familiarity about her the moment he''d looked in her eyes. And it had happened again now. He was having difficulty pinning it down. Who did she remind him of?

    And she was just a child... How did she get dragged into this mess? Someone was responsible for her presence here; he wanted to know who and why. In the vision from the Fade, Corypheus had seemed just as surprised by her appearance as Holli was. Solas didn''t think he''d brought her here. But his attempt to use the orb had irrevocably altered her life. It had altered the world.

    He would work with her; he would help her find a way home. Whether or not the mark could be removed, he didn''t know, but he would try to find a way for that as well. Maybe he could alleviate some of his guilt if he could at least help this one person. One of the most important people in the world right now.

    This wasn''t how things were supposed to go.

 Chapter 7

    Holli sat down as close to the fire as was safe to do so, despite her desire to crawl right into it. Their progress today had been slow. She was aware she was the reason for it. She was trying to keep up, just doing a poor job of it. So she tried to keep her mouth shut. No need to slow them down and complain about it the whole time. Even she hated whiners.

    "You''re going to fall into that fire, kid," Varric chuckled from the other side of it.

    "Maybe then I''ll be warm."

    "Here," Solas said, a quick gesture, and she felt a comforting warmth settle over her.

    She sagged in relief.

    "I need to teach you that spell," he said.

    "No good, I''m not a mage," she said, her focus returning to her book.

    She had packed her school backpack to bring with her¡ªclothes, some lollies, toiletries, and the Atlas of Human Anatomy. She hadn''t finished it, having only recently gotten hold of a copy. Second hand, but still good condition.

    Her aching body was protesting the fact she hadn''t just crawled into her bedroll after another long day of walking. Cassandra had scrounged one up for her. It certainly wasn''t a sleeping bag, but it would do. She would be sharing a tent with Cassandra¡ªVarric and Solas in the other. They had been discussing keeping a watch; the three of them were taking care of it. Holli had offered to be part of it, even she was capable of staying awake and alert. But they had declined; she figured no one wanted to risk putting their immediate safety in her hands.

    "Eventually you will have to accept you are, or you''ll be putting yourself and those around you at risk," Solas told her.

    "Why are you so sure I am?" She asked. "There''s nothing magical about me. Except this." She flapped her glowing hand about for a moment.

    "When I was healing you, I felt your magic. It responded to mine. I can feel it now; it''s depleted, but it''s there."

    "Are you sure it''s not just this?" Again with her hand.

    "I think I can tell the difference," he told her, his expression less than impressed.

    "We don''t have magic where I come from," she reiterated.

    "And yet, here you are."

    "Agree to disagree," she said, redoubling her efforts to focus on her book.

    "I will let the matter rest for now. But as your magic recovers, it is going to cause problems. We must revisit the issue before then."

    "Sure." Whatever got him to drop it.

    "What are you reading?" Cassandra asked her, poking at the fire and providing a much-needed change of topic.

    "''The Atlas of Human Anatomy,''" she replied. "I want to be a doctor when I grow up."

    "Doctor?" Cassandra asked.

    "Yeah, you know... um, maybe you call them physicians? A healer but without the magic? Surgeons, paediatricians, neurologists..."

    She listed off a bunch of different types to see if any names sparked.

    "An herbalist," Cassandra said. "Physicians and surgeons are a little more rare."

    "Herbalist?" Was that how far back their medical fields were? Interesting. And scary. "Christ, do they still use leeches for everything? Humorism?" She laughed a little at the idea.

    "Yes," Cassandra replied, straight-faced.

    Holli''s jaw dropped. Oh. Oh no. "People must die a lot here. And young, I''m guessing."

    "No more so than usual."

    Christ, what was usual? People tended to not realise how bad things were until they''d tasted better.

    "What about magic? It must be used to heal." She looked to Solas. "You healed me, and I was shot. Even with all our advances in my world, people still die from it."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Healing magic is very difficult, and I very nearly failed. I''d never seen wounds like yours before."

    And given his extensive experience, that was saying something.

    "Without the aid of your own magic, things could have been very different."

    She looked annoyed at him for bringing up her own magic again. "But with healing magic, you must be able to do amazing things¡ªrepair organs, cure blindness, deafness, disease¡ª"

    "I''m afraid not. Magic can be used to treat serious wounds, yes, but it''s not a cure-all."

    "Why not?" She asked.

    "It doesn''t work like that," Solas told her. "It''s complex. For the best outcomes, a combination of herbalism, other non magical treatments, and magic work best. Magic encourages the body to do what it already knows how to do, just at a much faster rate. The body does not know how to cure blindness or fight certain diseases."

    How disappointing.

    "Can you do all those things in your world?" Varric asked.

    "Sometimes. It depends on the root cause. But we have organ transplants for failing organs; we have vaccines for so many diseases¡ª"

    "Organ transplants?" Cassandra asked, the idea apparently distasteful. "Is that what it sounds like?"

    Holli nodded. "Being an organ donor is completely optional, of course; you can opt out."

    Solas looked curious, Cassandra a little disgusted, and Varric was a little more interested.

    "So your doctors take an organ from one person and put it in another, just like that?"

    "Not just like that. It''s complex, and it takes ages, and the person receiving the organ has to be on medication for the rest of their lives, or their bodies might reject the organ. The shit we can do is pretty amazing when you think about it."

    "It sounds unnatural," Cassandra said.

    Holli shrugged. "Saves lives, though."

    "At what cost?"

    "Healthcare is usually free in my country, so... nothing really."

    "I think she meant the spiritual cost, or the moral cost, little bird," Varric pointed out with an amused chuckle.

    "Oh. Some people do choose to suffer and die instead," she shrugged again.

    "May I see your book?" Solas asked.

    Holli reached over to pass it to him. "Can you read it?"

    "No, but these pictures..."

    She scooted closer and leaned over to see what he was looking at. "It''s an x-ray of a human skull."

    "X-ray?"

    "Where I come from, we have machines that can... look inside you, see your bones."

    "This doesn''t kill the person?"

    She shook her head. "We have machines that can look inside you to see all sorts of stuff. While you''re alive."

    The medical profession had always fascinated her, and she''d known very young she wanted to be a doctor. Probably after her mum''s first overdose. She could remember with vivid clarity calling the ambulance, watching the paramedics working on her. Mrs. Polatsky had tried to take her away, somewhere she couldn''t see, distract her. But Holli had been stubborn, wanting to watch, wanting to know her mother would be ok. While her mum had been in hospital, Holli remembered their visits, some of the nurses kind enough to explain things about the machines and medicines when she asked.

    "I''m curious as to the words," Solas said.

    Holli pounced on the chance. "If you teach me to read the language of this place, I''ll teach you to read English."

    Josephine had said she would find someone to teach her, but Solas was right here. And from what Holli gathered, they were going to be doing a lot of traveling. Dragging a tutor around seemed a bit ridiculous and probably not what that person signed up for.

    Solas thought it over a moment. "You have a deal. We can begin tomorrow, when we make camp for the evening."

    Holli grinned and nodded.

    "For now, it''s late; you should get to bed."

    Her grin dropped and her brow furrowed. Even her own mother didn''t send her to bed. She was old enough to decide her own bedtime.

    "It has been a long day, and we have an even longer one tomorrow," Cassandra said.

    Holli rolled her eyes. They wanted to get rid of her so they could talk without her, maybe? Holli huffed, taking back her book and going to her tent. She had her little keychain light she could read by; she didn''t need the fire.

    Cassandra watched her go, disappearing into the tent. Holli had been quiet most of the day, trudging along a little behind them. She had been trying to keep up, but her struggle was obvious. Much as it had been on their climb to the Breach. After she had woken from that, she had isolated herself in her cottage and hadn''t left it until Cassandra had come for her. People had been growing concerned. Cullen and Josephine had been using the elven maid she''d been assigned to keep an eye on her. What did she do all day? Was she eating? How was she doing? Her food intake hadn''t been great, and the maid had said she spent all day scribbling things onto parchment or reading. The maid was unlettered and hadn''t been able to tell them what she was writing. Turned out it wouldn''t have mattered. Cassandra had seen some of those papers, and she couldn''t read it either.

    Since Holli had isolated herself, it had been difficult to get a read on her. While she believed the girl wasn''t responsible for the Breach, her story seemed so fantastical. And if she took the fact she was from another world, it was still hard to believe she didn''t know anything about how she came to be here, magically appearing at the site of one of the most destructive events of the past few years.

    "How does she seem to you?" She asked the other two.

    "Considering everything she''s been through¡ªis still going through¡ªshe''s holding up well," Varric replied, a hint of warning in his tone. "She seems like a good kid, Seeker."

    Solas kept the conversation he''d had with Holli private. Letting the Seeker know Holli didn''t trust them to help her home might not go over well with the woman. Solas had seen she could be quite rash and harsh at times.

    Solas merely hummed his agreement with Varric''s assessment. He wasn''t wrong. She had left an entire world behind¡ªeverything and everyone she knew. And still she had marched up a mountain and tried to close the Breach, half expecting to die for the trouble. He was aware she also held the slight belief that if she died here, she might wake up in her own world.

    He hoped she didn''t attempt to test it, because he was quite certain it wouldn''t work.

 Chapter 8

    It took longer than Holli had initially been told to get to the Crossroads; they had also managed to close a few rifts on the way. But the lengthy travel was probably her fault. After days of hours upon hours of walking, she was exhausted. But so impressed with her boots. She had saved up from her part-time job to buy a quality pair and was so glad she had done so. They were warm, durable, and comfortable.

    True to his word, Solas had started teaching her to read the written language here; he also carried books with him when he travelled, it seemed. He was a much quicker learner than her, though, coming quite a ways in the few days they''d been trading languages.

    The Hinterlands was nicer than the mountains; it was good to be out of the snow. It was still quite cold, though.

    They had met up with an Inquisition camp, where a dwarven woman had given them the lay of the land. Scout Harding had pointed them in Mother Giselle''s direction and sent them on their way.

    "What kind of books do you write?" Holli asked Varric.

    She had just learnt about Hard in Hightown. When Varric had introduced himself, he had said he was a storyteller, but she had assumed he meant like a bard or around the campfire.

    "Rubbish ones," Cassandra snorted.

    "Aw, Seeker, you''ve read them? I''m touched."

    Cassandra let out a disgusted grunt.

    "In answer to your question, a bit of a mix. Hard in Hightown is about a seasoned detective, featuring murder, mystery, and mayhem, taking place in Kirkwall''s Hightown."

    Holli smiled. "What else?"

    "Swords and Shields is an ongoing romance¡ª"

    "Trouble ahead," Solas told them, taking his staff from his back.

    Holli could hear it too, the sounds of fighting. Scout Harding had told them mages and templars were fighting all over the area. She couldn''t feel a tingling in her hands, so it probably wasn''t rifts and demons; it had to be mages and templars.

    Cassandra turned to look at her. "Wait here; stay safe."

    Holli nodded, the others dropping their packs and leaving them with her to look after. While they ran off to fight, she dragged their things off the path and into the trees. Better to be hidden, just in case. She climbed onto a rock, sitting cross-legged, and stared about at the trees, their packs on the ground beside her.

    She''d never had much to do with nature growing up in the city. Her mum wasn''t the outdoorsy type, and she''d never known her dad; she didn''t even know who he was aside from a first name on her birth certificate that sounded fake. Her friends weren''t outdoorsy either, so she''d never gone camping or hiking. And without her phone, there wasn''t much to do but take in her surroundings. It was cold in the shade of the trees, but if she ignored the sound of distant fighting, it was quite peaceful. If she looked straight up, she could see the sky and scraps of cloud between the treetops. How long had it been since she''d just stared at the sky?

    She remembered imagining cloud shapes with Yvette when they were in primary school. Had it been that long?

    The internet said time in nature was beneficial to one''s mental health. She could sort of see why. The sound of the breeze through the leaves was nice. Not as nice as pouring rain, but nice.

    "Hey, little bird, it''s safe," she heard Varric call.

    She slid off her rock and grabbed their packs, coming out of the trees. On one hand, she felt a little useless hiding while they walked into danger. On the other hand, what good was she going to be in a fight? She''d get fucking killed.

    "Come on, Mother Giselle''s waiting."

    She walked with him towards the village.

    "You might want to keep your eyes down," Varric told her.

    Of course that immediately made her do the opposite. There were bodies... So many bodies. So far the only thing she had seen them kill was demons. There had been the dead when she had been climbing the mountain, but not like this, not so many in one place. And she had been a bit preoccupied that day; it hadn''t registered like this did. Maybe it was seeing the dead kids that did it; she wasn''t sure. Innocent people had been killed... refugees. There was blood; she could see where their skin had been slashed open, smell the burnt flesh and hair...

    "Hey, little bird," Varric said, his voice soothing, like he knew.

    "What''s going on?" Holli could hear Cassandra''s voice, but it sounded so far away.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "Holli," she heard Solas''s voice, but like Cassandra''s, it sounded distant. "Eyes on me."

    His face suddenly filled her vision, his warm hands on the sides of her face.

    "I think¡ªI think this might be real. I think I might really be here," she whispered, her hands coming up to desperately grip his wrists.

    She''d thought she''d accepted that possibility, but what that really meant¡ªeverything it entailed¡ªwas only just striking her now.

    She was in another world¡ªa world where people killed each other with swords and magic, where demons were real, where she stood not ten feet from murdered children. In her own world she heard about the atrocities committed in faraway countries, but she''d never seen it, never been this close to it. And they might not find a way back; she could be stuck here for the rest of her life. Who would take care of her mum?

    "It is real. And I''m sorry that you''re here," he said softly.

    "I want to go home."

    "I''ll find a way. Just bear with it a while longer. One foot in front of the other."

    Holli let out a shuddering breath and nodded, closing her eyes. She was being pathetic; she needed to pull herself together.

    "I''m sorry."

    "This world is asking much of you. You''re allowed a moment."

    It was. It was asking a lot of her. She was supposed to close a hole in the sky.

    But she wasn''t really contributing anything. The others were walking into danger to make sure she got to where she needed to go because she couldn''t look after herself. They kept watch at night to make sure they all stayed safe while she just slept.

    She had always thought she was quite independent¡ªher mother was a druggie and a drunk, Holli had had to fend for herself a lot because she couldn''t rely on her mum. But here...

    Shove it down, hide her bullshit. Her life wasn''t great, but she''d managed to keep it a secret from even her best friends. She''d hidden injuries; she could hide her panic. And her fear. Take a deep breath and pretend she wasn''t drowning.

    She took a calming breath and opened her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek in an attempt to refocus. When she let go of Solas''s wrists, he dropped his own hands from her face, taking a step back.

    "Mother Giselle?" She asked, her voice not as strong as she would have liked. Her whole body felt like jelly from the narrowly avoided panic attack.

    "This way," he told her, leading her up to the nearest building.

    Holli kept her eyes on his back to avoid taking in too much around her. Maybe being a doctor wasn''t for her if she couldn''t handle this kind of thing. She clenched her fists and tamped down on the thought. No, she just needed to desensitise herself. Just... not today.

    Solas directed her to a dark-skinned woman in a silly hat who was trying to convince an injured man to allow a mage to heal him.

    The others had been telling her about the world she now found herself in¡ªthe Templars, the Maker, Andraste, the Chantry and the Circles, the mages, and the general public''s distrust. The why of it¡ªdemon possession. Not just horror stories or mental health issues here.

    Mother Giselle finished with the soldier, turning her attention to Holli. Holli had her hands in her coat pockets, but the glow of her hand could still be faintly seen.

    "You must be the one they are calling the Herald of Andraste," she said, coming to join her, taking her chin in hand and examining her. "You are but a child."

    "So everyone keeps saying," Holli retorted, pulling back. "And I''m not the Herald of Andraste; she didn''t send me."

    Holli wanted to be very clear about that. She didn''t want people thinking she was something she wasn''t.

    "Then who did?" She asked simply, indicating for Holli to walk with her.

    "No one. I think it''s just... some cosmic fluke. You know... shit happens."

    Holli could see Cassandra facepalm in her periphery, Varric snickering. The others were a respectful distance away but clearly still within earshot.

    "We are seldom made privy to the Maker''s plans, and I would not presume to know them. But I doubt very much that your appearance here, and your power, can be ascribed to a fluke."

    Only because she didn''t know where Holli had come from, or the events prior to her appearance here. Holli didn''t believe in God; a cosmic fluke was far more likely. A magical accident. Honestly, Holli had no idea how to begin to explain her presence here. But Gods or prophets or whatever was way down the list.

    "Why did you want to see me?" Holli asked.

    It felt a little like being called to the principal''s office¡ªif the office were on the other side of a mountain range in the middle of a warzone...

    "I know of the Chantry''s denouncement, and I''m familiar with those behind it. I won''t lie to you; some of them are grandstanding, hoping to increase their chances of becoming the new Divine. Some are simply terrified. So many good people, senselessly taken from us..."

    "But don''t you stand with the rest of the Chantry?"

    That was how it was supposed to work, wasn''t it? Brains ground to mush and turned to ''faith'' and obedience.

    "With no Divine, we are each left to our own conscience¡ªand mine tells me this. Go to them. Convince the remaining clerics you are no demon to be feared. They have heard only frightful tales of you. Give them something else to believe."

    Frightful tales of a fifteen-year-old girl... What was being said about her exactly?

    "They want to execute me, and you want me to make it easier for them?"

    "You are no longer alone. They cannot imprison or attack you."

    Holli''s eyes drifted over to the others. Endangering them further didn''t sit right with her.

    "Let me put it this way: you needn''t convince them all. You just need some of them to doubt."

    The power-hungry ones weren''t going to be convinced unless she had something to offer them that would benefit them. Because apparently saving their world wasn''t enough. It would be the scared ones she''d need to work on.

    It reminded her of the climate change disaster in her own world. The people with the power didn''t care as long as they kept benefitting from it.

    "Their power is their unified voice. Take that from them, and you receive the time you need."

    "Would they even listen to me?"

    Even in her world, teenagers were largely ignored on important issues.

    "I suppose that would depend on your words. I honestly don''t know if you''ve been touched by fate or sent to help us... but I hope. Hope is what we need now."

    Holli nodded, trying to figure out what to say to these people.

    "I will go to Haven and provide Sister Leliana the names of those in the Chantry who would be amenable to a gathering. It is not much, but I will do whatever I can."

    Holli nodded. What was that quote about looking for the helpers?

    "Thank you, Mother Giselle."

    Holli was a little surprised to find she meant it. Any help was surely better than none.

    Mother Giselle gave a polite nod and moved on to continue with her own business. Holli rejoined the others.

    "Now what?" She asked.

    "Now we go and speak to Corporal Vale," Cassandra told her.

 Chapter 9

    They hadn''t made the journey back to Haven right away, lingering near the Crossroads to help the refugees for days. There was clean-up to do, damage to try and repair, and funerals to ready the dead for. Holli tried to help where she could, mostly as a gofer and often a babysitter. Initially it had been one toddler; a frazzled mother had left her daughter with Holli while she tried to care for her injured husband. Who could be more trustworthy than the Herald of Andraste?

    Holli had never had much to do with little children. She worked as a waitress in a cafe. And not the nice, trendy, family-friendly kind.

    After that, kids had started gathering about her, some sent there by their parents, she was sure. Others just had nothing better to do. Holli may not have had much to do with kids, but she knew how to play, and keeping them entertained with stories was an easy feat. Turned out Spiderman was a fan favourite even here. Of course she''d altered the world a bit; they weren''t going to know what skyscrapers or cars were. But they liked the idea of a boy with spider powers who could shoot webs out of his hands. Most of them. One girl thought it was disgusting. Since Holli had neglected the bit about the web shooters being gadgets, she could see how someone might be grossed out by that.

    Sometimes Cassandra and either Varric or Solas would leave the village for hours at a time. But one of them was always left to babysit her. Since Cassandra was considered something of Inquisition leadership, she never stayed. She had to go out there and further the Inquisition''s goals. But they wouldn''t leave Holli unprotected.

    She was acclimatising to this place, trying her damndest to accept this was the way things were for now. That acceptance had helped a little. But seeing more people die of their injuries every day was... difficult. And every day more refugees arrived, displaced by the fighting or the demons. There was a pall of despair in the air.

    So when more kids flocked to her to play, she tried to make it fun. They''d lost homes and family members and were in a strange place most of them didn''t know. She could relate.

    "Ralf, you were tagged!" Holli called out.

    Kaeso had clearly tagged him, and the boy had kept running. Holli had taught them freeze tag; they already had tag; surprisingly, they hadn''t come up with the freeze part. It was one of their favourite games to play. Holli had been kind of enjoying it too. Reminded her of simpler days. Even if she did suck at it. She spent more time being frozen than running around, but it gave her a chance to catch her breath.

    "I was not!" He called back, stopping to pout at her.

    "We all saw it!" Laelia said, earning a chorus of agreement from the other children.

    "I was not!" He said, stamping his foot and doubling down.

    "My dude, if you''re going to cheat, no one is going to want to play with you," Holli said, hands on hips.

    "Fine!" He spat, storming off.

    Holli sighed. Sometimes they were little shits. "You guys keep playing; I''ll go talk to him. Back soon, yeah?"

    The other kids nodded, carrying on with their game while Holli jogged after Ralf. Damn it, he was running. She felt a jolt of panic when she watched him run up the path away from the village, outside of its protective boundary. He darted into the trees.

    "Ralf, stop!"

    He kept running; Holli pushed herself harder to catch up with him. He suddenly cried out, disappearing from view as he fell down an embankment. Holli skidded to a stop; a familiar tingle had started in her hand. She could see the rift, out of her range from here. And she could see demons. She looked down, spotting Ralf in the rocks.

    "Ralf? Are you okay?" She called.

    "No," he sobbed out.

    Fuck fuck fuck. The demons had seen him and were quickly making their way over. She sat down and scooted over the edge, trying to control her slide down to him. It must have been about fifteen feet or so, and the kid had probably gone rolling down it with how sudden it had been. Running through a forest she''d thought the most dangerous thing would be tree roots, not the ground suddenly dropping out from under you.

    She made it down to him, completely unsure of what to do now, mindful of the approaching danger. She was an idiot; she should have gone and gotten help. But then the demons might have gotten him before she could get back. Now they were both just going to die.

    "Well, Ralf, demons are going to kill us," she said, peeking over the boulder they were hidden behind. Don''t panic, don''t panic. "I hope you''ve learnt a valuable lesson about cheating."

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    He looked horrified at the prospect. Good.

    "Can you move?" Maybe they could outrun them.

    "My leg hurts, and my arm."

    While she had taken a few first aid courses, funnily enough, none of them covered how to treat a child while demons bore down on you. His clothes were ripped, and there was a fair bit of blood. She couldn''t see bones sticking out at least. Maybe just bad grazes. The embankment he''d gone rolling down was mostly stone.

    "It''s probably going to hurt, but I''m going to pull you onto my back, and we''re going to have to run."

    He nodded, and she turned around, trying to pull him onto her back, but he cried out in pain and pulled away. She could hear the demons getting closer, hear them scrabbling on the other side of the rocks. Fuck, trying to outrun them over rocks with a kid on her back wasn''t going to work. She couldn''t even get him on her back.

    "Okay, that''s not going to work," she muttered, looking around for a weapon.

    Plenty of rocks, some branches... Maybe she could distract them, get them to chase her, lead them away from Ralf. Or if she could get to the rift, try and close it, that would stun them, buy them a bit of time.

    Before she could do anything, one of them topped the boulder. Ralf screamed as it raised its claws to strike her. Holli threw her hands up to protect her face and heard a shrieking hiss out of the creature. Holli looked up, no blow coming. There was a shimmering barrier between them and the demons.

    "Oh thank fuck, Solas must have found us," she breathed out, relieved.

    She looked around but couldn''t see him anywhere. More and more demons were climbing over the rocks and pounding against the barrier. No one was attacking the demons, though. Could Solas not fight and hold up the barrier at the same time? Where was he?

    The barrier was almost spherical, a bit jaggedy in some spots, but it must have been strong. They weren''t getting through.

    She turned her attention back to Ralf. "Okay, let''s get out of here. I''m just going to try lifting you."

    Hopefully Solas could move the barrier with them. She crouched down, sliding her arms under him and grunting with the exertion of lifting him. He wasn''t a small kid, more than half her size. Climbing over the rocks was going to be tricky.

    "If we fall and I drop you, no I didn''t," she warned him.

    He let out a nervous laugh, his eyes on the demons still battering their shield. Every time they hit it, she felt like a small piece of her cracked, and fear seeped in. How much more could this thing take? She carefully wound her way through the rocks, keeping an eye out for Solas so she could make her way to him.

    "Christ, dude, why are you so heavy? Aren''t you meant to be a starving refugee?"

    He glared at her for that one. "Why are you so weak?"

    "Why are you such a butt?"

    She slipped, nearly dropping him and falling down herself.

    "Be careful!" He snapped.

    "Or maybe I should just leave you here."

    They both knew she wouldn''t do it.

    Just focus on one foot in front of the other. Ignore the demons pounding against the barrier made of magic¡ªa force up until a little while ago she hadn''t even believed in.

    "Over here! I see them!" She heard Cassandra''s voice call out over the clearing, and she, Varric, Solas, and Inquisition soldiers flooded in. The demons turned their attention from her and started fighting the soldiers. Solas, Varric, and Cassandra came to where she was standing with the boy.

    "You''ll need to close that rift," Cassandra said. "Give the boy to Solas."

    She looked to Solas expectantly, and he stared back, neither moving.

    "Don''t you need to drop the barrier?" She asked him.

    "No. I didn''t create it," he replied, reaching out and lightly brushing his fingers over the shimmer. "It feels like your magic, Holli."

    She shot him a less than impressed look. "Impossible," she said flatly.

    "And yet..." He gestured to the barrier. "Can you not feel it? Our magic is as much a part of us as our arms and our legs. This shield should feel like an extension of yourself. How did it come to be?"

    She weighed his words, his expression, the look in his eyes. He seemed genuine.

    "We were about to be hit, and it just appeared. I thought it was you, that you must have found us."

    He shook his head. "I''ve only just arrived."

    "It can''t be me," she said. "We don''t have magic where I come from."

    "Holli, I think it is time you start accepting what I''ve been saying." She didn''t like the chiding tone. "You are a mage, and this barrier is yours. Only you can take it down." From his hand, fire started pouring out against the barrier. "What does that feel like?"

    She could feel it, not the heat of the flames, but like the blows from the demon, like a piece of her fracturing.

    "Like something is cracking. Inside."

    "What is cracking?"

    "I don''t know?"

    His brow furrowed at that. He turned back to see the demons had been dispatched by the soldiers, and they were waiting for Holli to close the rift.

    "The demons are gone now, we''re here, and you''re safe. Take a deep breath and relax."

    She could see he was telling the truth about the demons, and she did so, taking a deep breath and draining the tension out of her on the exhale. The barrier blinked out of existence.

    "See? That was you," Solas said, faint amusement colouring his tone as he took the boy from her arms. "We''ll have to teach you control. Now go close that rift."

    She nodded, walking closer to it on shaky legs. Closing the rifts was easy now, if still uncomfortable. She pulled it closed, rejoining the others amidst cheers from the soldiers. Every closed rift seemed to be something to celebrate.

    They started walking back to the Crossroads; Holli remained silent while Cassandra scolded her for leaving the village. Holli was lost in her own thoughts.

    Was she magic? Solas had been saying it from day one, but there''d been no proof. Should she count today as proof? She would think doing magic would feel like something. But it hadn''t really felt like anything. The cracking feeling just felt like anxiety. When the force field had dropped, it had no more impact to it than a bubble popping.

    The thought that maybe Solas was messing with her came to mind, but he really didn''t seem the type. And from what conversations they''d had about mages and the Fade, this was an area that he took very seriously.

    "Holli, are you listening?" Cassandra''s voice pierced her thoughts.

    "To what?" Holli asked, earning a disgusted grunt from Cassandra.

    Varric patted her hard on the back as he laughed.

    Shit, what had she missed?

 Chapter 10

    "What does it feel like when you dream?" Solas asked her.

    She sat cross-legged on the floor, Solas opposite her. They were sitting on the floor of the house they''d been making use of while they stayed here. They had offered to use their tents to make more room for the refugees, but no one had wanted to kick the Herald and her companions out into the cold.

    "It depends on the dream. Sometimes I''ll wake up annoyed or sad. If I can remember it at all."

    "How does it feel while you''re in your dream?" He clarified.

    "It doesn''t feel like anything. It''s a dream."

    "Are you able to influence it at all?"

    "Oh, do you mean like lucid dreaming? I''ve never been able to do that. They say you have to train yourself to do it, and I''ve never had much of an interest in trying."

    Solas let out a short huff of breath before changing tactics. "Do you recall how I told you mages draw their magic from the Fade?"

    She nodded.

    "It is also where people go when they dream, mage or no."

    "With the exception of dwarves," Varric added, he was sitting in the corner at the table cleaning Bianca.

    Solas acknowledged that point.

    "Why not dwarves?"

    "Dwarves aren''t connected to the Fade, so we can''t dream."

    She turned to face him. "You don''t dream? Ever? You just go to sleep and... nothing?"

    Varric nodded.

    "Weird," she mused.

    "From my side, you''re the weird ones. You just lie down and hallucinate for hours on end?"

    "Actually, on average, most people only dream about two hours a night, mostly during the REM sleep stage."

    This earned her questioning looks from the others.

    "Rapid Eye Movement sleep stage," she clarified, not sure if that was what they were asking.

    "How do you know that?" Varric asked. "About how long dreams are?"

    "Sleep science is a thing where I come from. They study the brain activity of sleeping people to see what happens. We still haven''t figured out why we dream; they reckon it could be the subconscious processing the day, or the brain building memory, or a form of mental housekeeping. Some people think there is no why, and that it''s just an incidental brain activity. Neuroscience and psychology are still trying to figure it out."

    "I don''t know if the Fade exists where you come from, or how dreams work there," Solas said, getting them back on track. "But here, dreaming and the Fade are connected. Even if you''re not a mage."

    "There''s no magic where I come from; there''s probably no Fade. And I''m not from here, so I''m not connected to the Fade."

    "Yet you performed magic today," Solas pointed out. "Given your less than conventional origins, I am willing to believe things might work a little differently for you. But it''s there all the same, and you need to learn to work with it."

    "All right, fine," she finally agreed.

    Maybe he was right, and she would be able to cast spells. Maybe he was wrong and nothing else about her needed to change.

    "The world around us can be manipulated by magic by simply willing it. The practice of magic consumes energy; too much, and a mage can expend their own life force, so you must be careful."

    "How will you know if you''re using too much? That barrier today felt like nothing. Does it just not require much to work?"

    "No, a shield receiving that kind of punishment and existing as long as it did¡ªyou should have felt that. The Fade clings to us, and we use that energy to shape the world around us via... our own wells of power. These wells¡ªfor lack of a better word¡ªexist only in mages. It is also what determines how powerful our spells are and how much Fade energy we can work with. It''s possible you have quite a substantial source to draw from."

    "But when I got here, my magic was depleted, right? Do you know why?"

    "It could have been from trying to keep you alive or the leap from your world to ours. There is no way to know for sure."

    "And it just restores itself over time?"

    "With proper rest," he nodded.

    "Well, I slept for three days, so..."

    "That likely helped, yes."

    "So where has it been my whole life?"

    There were certainly times she could have used a bit of magic in it.

    "With no Fade, it was likely you couldn''t access it."

    "So there could be magical people all over my world, and we just can''t use it?"

    Reminded her of that myth about daddy longleg spiders being the deadliest in the world and just not having the fangs to use it. Of course, that ended up being complete bullshit.

    "I couldn''t say," Solas replied.

    He suspected there was more to Holli''s origins, though his belief she was half elven was unconfirmed. At this point in time he had no way to confirm it. He just had the feeling she belonged in this world as much as her previous one.

    "Now, the first step is learning to reach that well of power..."

    -

    Holli was in her element when she was learning. It was something she enjoyed, and it came so easily to her. Learning to read the language wasn''t coming as quickly to her as it was to Solas, but it was by no means slow.

    And books had always been an escape¡ªboth fiction and nonfiction of all genres¡ªso she was extra motivated. There was a lot to learn about this world, and books would help. She was getting bloody annoyed missing so much context for things.

    Magic was a different beast. Solas had said it was as much intuition and emotion as it was logic and reason. That had been a little harder to get around, but once she managed to conjure fire the first time, she knew what using magic felt like. And once she knew, it wasn''t hard to replicate it.

    She was a little miffed he had been right about her having magic. Not at him, at herself. If she had accepted it earlier, she could have been learning it sooner. Perhaps the rift situation with Ralf might have gone better.

    But the irritation had died quickly as she learnt more. Solas hadn''t expected much of her without a staff or some kind of tool to help focus it, but she was managing just fine.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    On the trek back to Haven, every evening once they had set up camp, she and Solas worked on her magic, and then after dinner they worked on reading. Solas was a patient teacher and didn''t judge her for her mistakes, few as they were.

    In their lessons, he taught her about the Fade and its spirits, about the demons and how they came to be. That mages drew them like moths to flame, and she must be careful. That they might come to her in the Fade while she slept, try to make deals with her, tempt her. If they promised to get her home, Solas assured her it was lies. Do not take the deal.

    She wasn''t convinced her dreams were in the Fade; she doubted she''d be getting any offers from demons anyway. Nothing about her dreams had changed since arriving here, nothing to indicate they came from anywhere else but her own subconscious.

    Once they arrived back in Haven Solas promised they could spend more time on their lessons. These lessons also gave her something to do other than agonise over her situation.

    They would only be in Haven for a short time while they rested from their journey and prepared for their next one¡ªto Orlais to speak with the religious types.

    Mentally she had been working on a grand speech for them¡ªabout pulling together against a common threat, making history against this evil, saving orphans, blah blah blah. She''d written speeches for school before, and she did well with them. Granted, she''d never had to convince a religious order not to execute her.

    She made her way up to the Chantry to meet with the others. They wanted to discuss more about what was to happen in Orlais. When she got up to the Chantry, there was quite a crowd gathered around yelling. Were they here to hang her? She froze in her step as she watched.

    Commander Cullen stepped in; from this distance, she couldn''t hear what was being said, but he managed to disperse them, the crowd wandering off, if a little begrudgingly.

    She joined Commander Cullen out front of the Chantry, where he was speaking with Roderick. That prick was still here?

    "What was that about?" She asked.

    "Mages and templars were already at war," Cullen told her. "Now they''re blaming each other for the Divine''s death."

    "Which is why we require a proper authority to guide them back to order," Roderick snapped.

    "Who, you?" Cullen sneered. "Random clerics who weren''t important enough to be at the Conclave?"

    "Ha! Nice," she said, holding her hand up for a high five. When he didn''t reciprocate, she grabbed his hand and did it for him.

    He frowned at her but didn''t scold her at least.

    "The rebel Inquisition and its so-called ''Herald of Andraste''? I think not," Roderick spat.

    "From the sounds of it, I doubt we''ll do worse than the last lot," Holli said.

    "Are you suggesting I exalt a murderer? What of justice?"

    "Murderer? I guarantee you your actions have caused more murder than mine," she scoffed. "Why is this wank stain still here?"

    Roderick spluttered at the name-calling, and Cullen looked like he was trying to smother his amusement. Christ, he was hot.

    "Clearly your templar knows where to draw the line," Roderick said, injecting a fair bit of venom into the word ''templar.''

    "He''s toothless," Cullen replied. "There''s no point in turning him into a martyr simply because he runs at the mouth. The chancellor''s a good indicator of what to expect in Val Royeaux, however."

    He indicated for Holli to walk with him, and they headed inside the Chantry.

    "No matter how we might want to, we shouldn''t go around calling people names," he told her. "You''ve got quite the mouth on you."

    "Do I? This is how everyone talks where I''m from. Worse even. I''m pretty PG actually."

    He cast a questioning look down at her.

    "Parental Guidance recommended," she explained. "Some material may not be suitable for children. May contain some profanity, violence, or-"

    She ended there. No need to finish that. She wouldn''t want people getting the wrong idea.

    "Right."

    "Greetings, Herald of Andraste."

    Holli winced, looking to Mother Giselle. The woman had arrived days before them, given they''d stayed in the Hinterlands a while.

    "Holli," she told her.

    Mother Giselle only inclined her head. "How fares your quest to seal the Breach?"

    "It''s still faring," she replied, unsure.

    "A task such as closing the Breach is a heavy burden. I hope you do not carry it alone."

    "I don''t really do much at all; the others are pretty much carrying me at this. They just point me in the right direction and I fling my hand about."

    She heard Cullen stifle a noise beside her; what it might have been, she didn''t know.

    "We remember Andraste, but Andraste did not carry the Chant of Light alone. She had generals and advisors, and though it is considered heresy to say it, she had the aid of Shartan."

    That was a new name to her, but Holli nodded along politely until Mother Giselle finished what was really starting to sound like a sermon.

    It was her parting words that had her doing a double take.

    "In any case, I pray this Inquisition proves less brutal than its predecessor."

    Holli''s gaze quickly shot to Cullen for an explanation, but he just gestured for her to follow. They entered the room at the end of the hall where Leliana, Cassandra, and Josephine were waiting.

    The women greeted them both before getting right into it.

    "Having the Herald address the clerics is not a terrible idea," Josephine said.

    "You can''t be serious," Cullen scoffed. "We''d be throwing her to the wolves."

    She shot him a flat look for that.

    "Mother Giselle isn''t wrong: at the moment, the Chantry''s only strength is that they are united in opinion."

    "And we should ignore the danger to Holli?" Leliana asked.

    "Let''s ask her."

    "I''m not sure we should be leaving it to her; she cannot fully comprehend¡ª"

    "I''m fifteen, not five," Holli cut Cassandra off. "I can comprehend just fine."

    "You''re fifteen?" Cassandra asked.

    "Yes, how old did you think I was?"

    "Younger. You''re very small. Combine that with your complete ignorance of our world..."

    "Is that why you''ve been treating me like a troublesome child?"

    "A little. You are also just troublesome at times."

    "Look, I know I can''t fight for shit, and I haven''t learnt near enough magic to defend myself. But I can talk, and I learn quickly. I can address a bunch of churchies."

    "I assume you won''t be calling any of them wank stains or churchies," Cullen said, his amusement clear.

    "As long as they''re not acting like Roderick was."

    "They probably will be. Maybe even worse."

    "Fine, I won''t call anyone names. I can fake pleasantness too. I worked in food service before I got here. Did Mother Giselle give you the names?"

    "She did. But this is nothing but a-"

    "What choice do we have?" Cassandra asked, quite the about face from her comments before. "We must do something. Right now we can''t approach anyone for help with the Breach. Use what influence we have to call the clerics together. Holli is willing. And Solas, Varric, and I will be there to protect her."

    There was a long moment of silence, Cullen and Leliana the last holdouts. But once Cullen gave a resigned sigh, Leliana caved as well.

    "All right," Leliana said. "I''ll have it arranged by the time you reach Val Royeaux."

    "We''ll leave early tomorrow morning," Cassandra said.

    "Cool," Holli said. "I have a lesson with Solas now; I''m gonna take off."

    She gave them a little wave before disappearing out the door.

    She was trying to be more positive about the situation, help more, and feel like less of a burden. Everyone here was trying to help, at the very least pulling their own weight. What skills she had weren''t really suited to this environment. There was a tavern here, but the woman who ran it already had all the help she needed. So Holli focused on learning to read the language here, practicing her magic, and trying not to make Rythal''s job any harder or bigger than it needed to be. Holli could clean up after herself anyway; it wasn''t that hard.

    "Hello, Solas," she greeted.

    In the couple of days since they had been back, he usually waited near Adan''s for her to arrive for a lesson.

    "Good afternoon, Holli," he returned. "You''re ready, I take it?"

    She nodded, falling into step beside him. He felt it best they didn''t practice magic within Haven''s walls. There were still some very nervous folk about.

    They made their way out the gate and around to the other side of the frozen lake, finding a sunny spot¡ªfor all the good it did. It felt like the sun''s warmth just couldn''t make it all the way down here. Their practice area was close enough to Haven that they could call for help if needed, but hidden enough that no one from Haven would be able to see clearly what they were up to.

    "Is there magic that isn''t, like, offensive or defensive?" She asked.

    So far she''d only seen it used to fight. When they had been in the Crossroads, she''d seen it used to heal, but not to help with the cleanup or the everyday little tasks.

    "Yes, but explain to me what you mean by that."

    Solas had told her magic essentially rendered reality mutable, that mages can reshape it. But so far she hadn''t seen much of that¡ªjust people flinging the elements around.

    "Like... casting a spell on a book to make it read itself out loud to you, or making yourself fly, or giving animals the ability to speak to you..."

    "There are schools of magic that do not focus on battle, but those particular spells... The first I''ve never seen or heard of, the second¡ªwhile it has been attempted, very few have managed more than brief levitation without the aid of shapeshifting. As for the third, many mages have tried. None have been successful."

    "Have you ever tried?"

    "No."

    "Why not?"

    "I''ve never needed to."

    "Does it have to be about need? Can''t you just try something to see if you can, or because it might be fun?"

    He looked at her a long time, but she couldn''t figure out his expression. He didn''t look angry or annoyed at least.

    "Most consider magic too dangerous to be fun or too powerful to be wasted on frivolity."

    "But it can be?" She pressed.

    "You''re welcome to try once you have a bit more experience."

    "What about long-distance communication?" She asked. "Has anyone invented that?"

    If she could figure out a way to make magic take the place of her everyday modern conveniences, that would be handy. Not that she had anyone to communicate with, but the Inquisition could probably make use of it.

    "How would you work it?" He asked curiously.

    "I don''t know. Mirrors, then you could get the visual. Connected books you could write messages in."

    Like texting, but obviously different. Medieval texting.

    He let out a thoughtful hum before commencing their lesson.

 Chapter 11

    Val Royeaux wasn''t entirely a bust, Holli supposed. There had been people willing to help and people willing to listen, even if those they needed most still refused.

    The Templar leader sounded like an arrogant piece of shit; she was starting to second guess her decision to go to them for help first. But she really would prefer not to have other people''s magic poured into her.

    Though her practice was coming along nicely, and she was learning more about magic, the mages they''d use to power her up could fuck up and kill her. At least if the Templars messed up, it was unlikely anything bad would happen to her directly. Maybe she was being a wuss; maybe her fears were valid; it was difficult for her to tell.

    Cassandra and Leliana did seem confident the mages would do fine. She''d asked Solas since he was a mage, and a skilled one at that. But he only said it was not his decision and he could not influence her. She must do what she was comfortable with.

    The trek back to Haven was a little livelier with two more companions. Holli didn''t really understand why Sera had wanted to join the cause, but it was nice to have someone closer to her own age. As for Vivienne, Holli didn''t really know where she stood with her. There was something about the woman that reminded her of a viper waiting to strike. She''d been nothing but cordial, but Holli got the feeling she could turn nasty in an instant, and her prey wouldn''t see it coming.

    The woman had also brought a bit of an entourage with her, servants or staff? They carried her belongings, fetched her things, and basically did everything she asked. So they had a much larger camp on the way back. But if Vivienne was going to set her staff to helping people around Haven, the more helping hands, the better.

    What she didn''t like about Vivienne was the way she muscled in on her lessons with Solas. The woman had a very different approach to magic than the elf, more aggressive and controlling. Holli didn''t like it. Or the way she viewed mages. Holli could admit she didn''t know enough about either side of the situation to really take a side, but the way Vivienne spoke of the mages trying to get their freedom didn''t sit right with her. Like they were wrong for not wanting to be ripped from their families and forced into a tower under constant guard for something that may or may not happen.

    So Solas and Holli took their lessons elsewhere when they did them. Sera sometimes tagged along, offering some snarky commentary. Solas didn''t seem happy about it, but he hadn''t tried to make her leave either. He did chide her when she became too much of a distraction, though¡ªSera talked a lot. And found it hilarious to try and make Holli laugh when she was attempting to cast a spell¡ªat best her spell would fail, at worst it sort of blew up in her face.

    She did wonder why Solas didn''t send Sera away.

    Maybe he should have.

    "Holy shit," Holli breathed out, turning wide eyes on Solas.

    She hadn''t even been trying to conjure fire, yet the tree nearest them had burst into roaring flames. Solas reacted quickly; a gesture with his hand and the tree was drenched in water. The fire took a few moments to be put out, though, it almost looked like it stood a fighting chance against the water.

    "That''s not what I was trying to do, I swear," she said, looking up at Solas, pleading for him to believe her.

    "I know," he said, casting a narrow-eyed look at Sera, who was sitting nearby on a rock.

    "What?" Sera asked. "Her piss-poor skill ain''t my fault."

    It wasn''t. Holli should be better at focusing and not let Sera''s jokes derail that.

    "Have you noticed each day your spells are stronger than the day before?" Solas asked her.

    "I do practice, even without you," she told him.

    "Practice hones skill, not necessarily strength. The power behind your spells is increasing. It would appear your magic is still recovering. We have yet to find your limits. Too much power and too little skill make for a dangerous combination."

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    She nodded; made sense.

    "You need to pull back on the amount of power you''re injecting into your spells."

    "Cool, ok..." She mumbled, trying to figure out how to do just that.

    She hadn''t considered the amount of power; she just did it. It was surprisingly easy to cast a spell. She hadn''t realised her depleted magic had been setting its own limits; now those limits were expanding. She had been trying to do the warming spell Solas had used on her. She was a little hesitant now knowing that could have been her engulfed in flames.

    "Worried you''re gonna set yourself on fire?" Sera grinned.

    "A little bit," Holli replied. "How is the care for burns in this world?" She asked.

    "You''ll not burn yourself. I didn''t let that happen before, and I won''t now," Solas told her.

    He had deflected her spell from her? He was just standing there leaning on his staff; he didn''t look like he was primed to cast anything. But he hadn''t led her astray so far, and his teachings were working.

    She took a breath and gave it another go, drawing from that well he''d told her about, heating up the air around her. It wasn''t the instant relief like when he''d done it; it was slower, but she could feel it. She was a little scared to make it quick, worried that could have been partially to blame for the tree debacle. Too hot too fast.

    When she felt warm enough, she cut off the magic, grinning to herself before casting a beaming one to Solas.

    "I think I did it; I feel warm."

    "Cast it on me," he told her, a faint smile on his own face.

    "You''re ready to protect yourself from bursting into flame?"

    "Of course."

    It was a little different casting on someone else; she was a little less sure of how far to go.

    "Are you warm enough?" She asked. "Should I go higher?"

    She imagined it like turning up the dial on the heater.

    "That is sufficient, thank you."

    "What about you, Sera? Are you cold?" Holli asked eagerly, keen to give it another go.

    "Not cold enough to risk becoming charcoal."

    "I''m sure you''ll have plenty of practice on our trek back to Haven," Solas told her. "We should get back to camp; it''s our turn to prepare dinner."

    They often got lumped together on cooking duty since they were both occupied with their lessons. Holli didn''t mind cooking; it was a small way in which she could be useful. It was a bit lame not having much to work with. While there usually wasn''t much in her house, there was at least basic shit most of the time. Cup noodles, or just add water pasta.

    Not a whole lot to work with at camp.

    -

    "It''s good you''ve returned," Josephine didn''t bother with greetings when they entered the Chantry. "We heard of your encounter."

    Holli never even got to spout her speech thanks to the Templars.

    "You heard?" Cassandra asked sceptically.

    "Of course," Leliana said, she and Cullen making their way over. "My agents in the city sent word ahead."

    "It''s a shame the Templars have abandoned their senses as well as the capital," Cullen said, folding his arms over his chest.

    "Couldn''t that help us?" Holli asked. "If their loyalty''s not to the chantry anymore, could we win it somehow?"

    "Lord Seeker Lucius is not the man I remember," Cassandra told her, leading them to the room at the end of the Chantry.

    "True, he has taken the Order somewhere, but to do what? My reports have been... very odd."

    "We must look into it. I''m certain not everyone in the Order will support the Lord Seeker."

    "Or Holli could simply go to meet the mages in Redcliffe, instead," Josephine reminded them of the option.

    "You think the mage rebellion is more united? It could be ten times worse."

    "We could flip a coin," Holli suggested, only half joking. The withering looks cast her way had her rolling her eyes. "Jokes. Sort of."

    She would still prefer the Templars, though not the prick in charge. They bickered a little between themselves. If Holli weren''t already a little disillusioned by adults, this would possibly be the last nail in that coffin. Seemed it didn''t really matter what world it was; no one had their shit together.

    To be fair, this was an extraordinary circumstance. She assumed. No one had ever mentioned this happening before anyway.

    It was Cullen who reminded them there was little to be done right now, at least attempting to end things. Holli wandered off like the others, making her way back outside. She was going to find Sera.

    "Excuse me, I''ve got a message for the Inquisition, but I''m having a hard time getting anyone to talk to me."

    Holli looked at the young man, heavily armoured and obviously a bit annoyed at being fobbed off so often.

    "What''s up?" She asked. She could at least pass the message along.

    "I''m Cremisius Aclassi, with the Bull''s Chargers mercenary company. We mostly work out of Orlais and Nevarra."

    Orlais she knew; Nevarra she had never heard of.

    "We''ve got word of some Tevinter mercenaries gathering out on the Storm Coast. My company commander, Iron Bull, offers the information free of charge. If you''d like to see what the Bull''s Chargers can do for the Inquisition, meet us there and watch us work."

    "I''ll pass it along to the bosses. Thanks." She offered a pleasant smile and turned back to the chantry to do just that.

    She could find Sera later.

 Chapter 12

    As the Inquisition grew, there were more and more agents spread about the country, and every time a new rift was discovered, its location was noted and sent to Haven. They kept a list of them in the war room and marked their rough whereabouts on the map.

    The ones nearest Haven, Holli was sent to under the watchful eye of at least one of the inner circle¡ªwhich had grown with the addition of Iron Bull and Blackwall¡ªand a small contingent of soldiers handpicked by Cullen.

    Iron Bull was her first encounter with a Qunari, and she may have been less than eloquent about it. But he was a fucking minotaur! Granted, his feet were normal, and, ok, his face was not a bull''s. But he had massive horns! The dude himself was massive! She couldn''t help but stare. Of course she apologised for it, explained she''d never seen a Qunari before, then pestered him with questions about his anatomy, his culture, and his people''s evolution. He didn''t seem to mind at least.

    Although they had intended to keep her origins between those that had been there the day she''d sealed the Breach, it had gotten out that she wasn''t from Thedas. Wasn''t from this world at all, not just some foreign country far beyond this continent. Bull had promised to keep it out of his reports, but the rumour had gone beyond the inner circle. No one sought direct confirmation, but others had overheard people talking about it.

    After learning that tidbit about her, she had been the one peppered with questions. Some of them¡ªVivienne and Sera predominantly¡ªhadn''t believed it. They''d just thought she was a bit odd and spoke nonsense words sometimes. (Bit rich coming from Sera.) Holli had shown them the books she had and even cracked out a bag of lollies to share. It helped, but it wasn''t exactly conclusive proof.

    But Holli had decided she wasn''t going to put that much more effort into it; they could believe her or not. But she was fine answering any questions they asked.

    Varric still asked her a lot from time to time as well, and she wasn''t sure, but she thought he might have been drafting up another book. She had explained to him the sci-fi genre; would her world be considered that in this one?

    Holli was adjusting to this new life, even if there were still aspects she despised¡ªlack of indoor plumbing and electricity being a biggie. But she was learning and finding her feet.

    When she wasn''t travelling, learning with Solas, or practicing her magic, she helped in the healer''s hut. She had even managed to get them to start adhering to some more decent hygiene practices¡ªstricter about sanitising tools, washing hands all the time, and wearing masks. It had taken time, but there had been a noticeable drop in infections.

    She had been a bit grossed out by the maggots, but she did know it was something people had used since ancient times in her own world and could actually be quite effective. If disgusting.

    She had gotten to learn how to suture wounds, though, which she was super stoked about. And the physician and herbalists seemed happy enough to show her how to help, especially since she''d proven she knew a thing or two given the drop in infections.

    Learning to heal with magic was the next thing she wanted to learn when it came to her magic lessons. In the weeks since he''d started teaching her, she''d managed to reach a point where she could sort of defend herself against demons if they managed to slip past everyone else somehow, at least stall until help came. And she could summon that shield at will now too; she could protect herself and wait for help to arrive. She was discretely practicing with more offensive magic. While she didn''t want to fight and kill people, she didn''t want to be completely reliant on the others all the time either.

    "Holli?"

    She heard Solas''s voice from the entrance to the healing quarters and looked up from her patient. She worked on patients now! They would never let her do this in her own world.

    She gave him a smile, washing her hands with the soap and water provided before joining him at the door.

    "What''s up?" She asked.

    "Cassandra would like you to join them in the war room," he told her.

    "Right now?"

    "I believe so."

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    He walked with her to the Chantry, but she had noticed he tended to keep his distance from it. She wasn''t sure she had ever seen him go inside either.

    "Solas, how hard is healing magic? I''d like to learn."

    Solas had been expecting the request sooner or later. One thing he had come to learn about her was she had a voracious appetite for knowledge, especially the healing arts. But then, her aspiration was to become a doctor, so it was hardly surprising. While he''d had pupils in the past, none were quite as quick or as enthusiastic as her.

    "No harder than any other school of magic, but the consequences of failure are dire."

    "Failures will always be dire, or can be dire?"

    "I suppose ''can be'' would be more apt, at least in your case. You''re an excellent student."

    She grinned up at him, eyes warm and pleased. He did not give out praise often, but she truly was. And she didn''t let his praise go to her head.

    "We can work on the theory of it when next you''re free. It would be best if you kept your practice to the inner circle, however."

    She nodded. There was still a lot of distrust for magic; she''d seen it in the healing house since she''d started helping out there.

    They reached the Chantry, and he bid her a pleasant day before going on his way. She watched him a moment. Solas was kind and a gentleman, but despite that, there was a distance to him, an air of solitude or loneliness maybe. He triggered a mix of compassion and pity in her, like those videos on the internet of abandoned pets who she wished would find a forever home and family.

    Of course she would keep that to herself; she doubted he''d be pleased being likened to an abandoned pet in need of adoption.

    She headed into the chantry, making her way down to the war room. Inside the other three were already there.

    "Ah, good, you''re here," Cullen said.

    "What''s up?" She asked.

    "Tomorrow we''ll be leaving for Therinfal Redoubt," Cassandra said.

    Holli looked to the map; she knew the words by heart now thanks to Solas''s lessons and a bit of help from the others. Therinfal Redoubt was quite a ways from Haven. She knew it was where the Templars were holed up too.

    "We''re ready to try for the Templars?"

    "We are," Josephine told her. "We have enlisted the help of ten of Orlais''s most influential families. They are all travelling to Therinfal Redoubt as we speak, and we have promised you as our voice in these negotiations."

    Negotiations... She could manage that.

    "I''ll be negotiating with the Lord Seeker, right?" She asked.

    They nodded.

    "Do we have any dirt on him? Kiddy diddler? Rapist? Closet furry? Foot fetish?"

    "Uh, no, nothing like that I''m afraid," Leliana replied. "What is a closet furry?"

    "In this context, I mean the kind of guy who''s sexually attracted to anthropomorphic animals. And in the closet is just... hiding it. Furryism''s not a thing here then?"

    "It is where you''re from?" Cullen asked, morbidly curious.

    "Yeah. It isn''t always about sexual attraction," she admitted. "But it could be enough to blackmail Lord Seeker if it was one of his kinks."

    "Let''s try and negotiate like normal people," Cullen suggested.

    "Fine," she sighed. "But it would be easier if we didn''t have to. Got a book on the Seekers I could read before we get there?"

    "Several," Josephine said. "I''ll have them ready for you when we''re done here."

    Holli nodded. Maybe there''d be something useful in them that could help her. Not as much as blackmail material, but more knowledge about them couldn''t hurt. She would have to get help with the reading; she wasn''t quite fluent yet, but she certainly didn''t need anyone reading it to her anymore.

    They spoke a little more about the logistics before Holli followed Josephine to her office. The older woman found several books on her shelves, thick, bloody tomes, and handed them to Holli with a smile.

    "Bloody hell," she muttered.

    She probably wasn''t going to be getting through too much of this before they made it to Therinfal Redoubt. Hopefully she''d at least find something useful.

    "And we''re sure we''ve got absolutely no dirt on Lord Seeker?" She tried again.

    "None. If he isn''t clean, he''s very good at hiding it."

    Holli huffed a breath but thanked Josephine for the books. She would go back to her place to make a start.

    As soon as Holli stepped out of the Chantry, an arrow struck the ground in front of her, narrowly missing her feet by a few millimetres and startling her enough to drop the books she was carrying.

    She heard Sera''s cackle from the top of the rocky outcropping nearby and cast a fierce glare her way as she bent down to pick up the books.

    "Sera, you dipstick," Holli called out.

    Sera hopped down, joining her while Holli inspected the books to make sure there wasn''t too much damage to them. These weren''t bloody hers, and she always tried to be careful with other people''s belongings.

    "What was that for?" Holli asked, kicking Sera''s arrow out of the ground.

    "Testing you. You failed. Wouldn''t take much to kill ya and then where''d we be? Nothing would ever get back to normal."

    "Well, I''ll be too dead to care, so not my problem."

    "Not very heroicky," she pointed out.

    "The heroics are for you guys, the fighters. I just close the rifts."

    "Nearly died trying to close the Breach last time I heard."

    "Not true, just passed out. I was fine. And once we get the templars it should be even easier to close. Hopefully once it''s gone, that''ll fix my hand, and then I can focus on finding my way home."

    "And leave all this behind?"

    "Yes."

    She wanted flushable toilets; she wanted to make sure her mother was okay, to make sure her friends were okay, to find out what happened to the boy who shot her. Did Katie survive?

    "Now, I have a shit ton of reading to make a start on," she was about to walk away before a thought occurred to her. "Hey, your friends, they don''t have any rumours or info on Lord Seeker Lucius, do they?"

    "I can ask."

    "Awesome, thanks, Sera."

 Chapter 13

    Holli sat at the table with Bull, Sera, and Varric. She didn''t usually come into the tavern. Varric had brought her in for dinner a couple of times, but other than that, she kept her distance. There was still that fear that she might become her mother¡ªand her mother was a barfly.

    The others were teaching her how to play Wicked Grace. She''d heard of the game since she''d been here, seen some of the soldiers playing it as she was passing by. She had been curious about it, and now she got to try it. She did fairly well at most card games because she did tend to cheat. And apparently this game expected it. She wasn''t sure if that was better or worse, whether it would help or hinder.

    Varric had explained the rules, and they were playing a practice game to make sure she got it. It wasn''t too difficult to get, and the art on the cards was quite pretty; it reminded her of tarot cards almost.

    Varric dealt, and she picked up her cards. No angel of death. Revealing it on the first round would probably annoy most people; she was a little keen to do it for that fact alone. Of course, the winner probably wouldn''t give a shit.

    "Do you not have Wicked Grace where you come from?" Sera asked.

    Holli shook her head.

    "Do you have cards at all?"

    "Yeah, but they''re just numbered, and the face cards are just King, Queen, and Jack, and they''re all sorted into four different suits¡ªDiamonds, Hearts, Clubs, and Spades," she replied, discarding a card and picking up another. That had been a lateral move.

    She paid close attention to what the others discarded, hoping she could keep track of what was left in the pickup pile and hazard some educated guesses on what might be in their hands.

    "So what''s the main thing you miss from home?" Sera asked.

    Holli shot her a look over her cards. "My mum."

    The silence stretched out at that until Sera blew a raspberry. "Boring. And a bit of a depressing answer."

    "Well, what did you expect?"

    "I dunno, some kind of food maybe."

    "I miss not having to walk everywhere. I miss the buses and the tube."

    "At least that sounds more interesting; explain that."

    Holli did, launching into a wistful explanation of the public transport system. Was it perfect? No. Did it beat walking everywhere in the cold? Absolutely. She even went into planes, not that she''d ever been on one. Her mother wasn''t the travelling type.

    That got her really going, and she went into the wonders of hot showers and spa pools.

    "Your world sounds soft," Bull told her.

    "We''ve definitely made things a lot more convenient for ourselves. Shot ourselves in the foot in other ways. Tell me what you like about this world." She asked them. "What stops you from blowing your brains out?"

    "Friends," Sera said. "And making life difficult for those noble twats what think they own us all."

    "Yeah, stick it to the man," Holli said, throwing up the rock-on sign. She was only being half sarcastic.

    Varric chuckled. "What?"

    "Stick it to the man. Fuck authority," Holli explained. "That''s something else I miss. People getting what I''m on about."

    "Rebellious society you come from?"

    "Some people are; some people aren''t. Lots of different people. It''s a big world. Almost eight billion, last I heard."

    They stared at her, wide-eyed.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    "Bullshit!" Sera shot out. "How would you even know that?"

    "National census data," she replied. "There is like a one or two percent margin of error, of course."

    "So what? Someone just goes around and counts you all up?"

    "No, every ten years the census is done; we fill out forms about ourselves and the people we live with. It''s collected and counted."

    "Isn''t that a little invasive?" Varric asked.

    She hummed noncommittally. "It can help in a lot of ways. Monitors population growth and helps the government develop policies and public services. But our government is also shit, so it doesn''t really seem like it''s helping all that much."

    "But fuck off, eight billion people? Is that even a real number?" Sera pressed.

    "Yes?"

    Was eight billion really that difficult to comprehend for her?

    Holli''s eyes widened a fraction as she picked up her next card. The Angel of Death. She didn''t think her hand was too bad; she had a chance to be winner if she played it now. Fuck it. Call it.

    She revealed her card, getting a disappointed tsk from Bull but a gleeful cackle from Sera. It was Varric who beat them all, though.

    "Holy shit, no way you didn''t cheat," she said.

    "But you didn''t see me cheat, did you?"

    She hadn''t. Too distracted with their questions and her talking. Had that been the plan? But then, Varric hadn''t been the one asking questions or doing the talking. For once. Maybe they were all in on it? No, she was being paranoid.

    "Another game?" She asked, keen to cement the rules of play into her mind.

    "All right. Want to deal?" He asked, offering the cards.

    She nodded, accepting the cards with a challenging glint in her eye. Games did tend to bring out her competitive streak.

    Hopefully she wouldn''t get too ugly about it.

    -

    "Are the spirits of the Fade just dead people?" Holli asked Solas.

    They were outside of Havens walls for another magic lesson, Holli tossing a ball of flame from hand to hand. It didn''t even burn if she didn''t want it to.

    "Some deceased do remain in the Fade for a time," he confirmed.

    "So mages who dream in the Fade could make contact with lost loved ones?"

    "Not any mage. There are some¡ªlike myself¡ªwho can wander the Fade at will. But for most, they still dream; they just have more control of themselves in it."

    Holli nodded thoughtfully, conjuring another ball of fire and juggling them with one hand.

    "Have you ever found someone you lost in the Fade?" She asked softly, not wanting to dredge up any sore spots but still too curious not to ask.

    "I have not," he replied.

    He''d found she had a tendency to ask questions that were rather difficult to answer truthfully. But he liked that her questions were born from curiosity, not malice and accusation. Just a desire to know. To slot it in with the vast wealth of knowledge she had started to accumulate since arriving in this world.

    "Do you have a mum?" She asked, before rolling her eyes. "I mean, is she alive? Of course you have a mum."

    He let out an amused breath, just short of a chuckle. "No. No mother. Or father either, before you ask."

    "Who taught you magic?"

    He watched as she conjured a third ball of flame, juggling all three.

    "I''ve had many teachers," he replied.

    "Why are all your answers sort of vague?"

    "Would you feel better if I were to list name, race, and occupation?" He quirked a brow at her.

    "Kind of."

    "Why? You do not know them."

    "Maybe I''d meet them one day. Then I could say, ''Hey, I know Solas; he taught me magic.'' Then they could tell me all sorts of embarrassing stories from your childhood."

    "As lovely a picture as you paint, the possibility of meeting them is so far removed from reality."

    "Oh, the Fade?" She asked, a look of sympathy on her face.

    "The Fade is reality, Holli. Just not this one."

    "Do you encounter many demons when you''re in the Fade? Did they try to tempt you?"

    She conjured a fourth ball and continued to juggle without missing a beat. Truly, a skill worthy of the Herald of Andraste.

    "No more than a brightly coloured fruit is deliberately tempting you to eat it."

    "Those slutty fruits..."

    This time a chuckle did escape him at her unexpected words, which he smothered quickly. She caught it, though, casting him a beaming grin of accomplishment. He wasn''t sure why she felt his amusement to be a challenge overcome.

    "I learnt how to defend myself from the more aggressive spirits and how to interact safely with the rest. The Fade can be a wondrous place with much to explore. But it reflects the world around it; to explore the Fade, you must explore here. It also reflects and is limited by our imaginations."

    "How can I dream in the Fade?" She asked.

    "Are you sure you''re not already?"

    "Pretty sure. Is there any way to tell?"

    "It feels much like when you use your magic."

    "Yeah, I don''t think I''m dreaming in the Fade then."

    "Strange. Let me ponder it for a while."

    Holli nodded.

    "Now, tell me, did you spend time in a circus?"

    "Hn. Nah, one of my distant cousins taught me at my nan''s funeral when I was a kid. Well, the service afterwards."

    "The control you''re exercising over your magic is excellent."

    Another beaming grin from her. He''d not seen someone use elemental magic in such a way in a very long time. Especially not fire.

    "You speak of your mother now and again, but I''ve not heard you mention your father," he noted.

    "Never met him. He bailed when I was a baby."

    There was a note to her tone, a buried hurt she was trying to play off with nonchalance.

    "Apologies," he said.

    "All good; it wasn''t you who abandoned me."

    He saw her wince at the bitterness and resolved to change the subject.

    Clearly this was a sore spot.

 Chapter 14

    "What have you got?" Holli asked.

    Sera had received a missive from someone somewhere, and with a not-so-subtle look at Holli, they''d slipped away from the rest of the camp under the guise of gathering firewood.

    Sera squatted on the ground when they found a quiet, private spot, and Holli followed suit opposite her. Sera unrolled the little message, her face scrunching up. Not great then.

    "He likes to beat the elven stablehands."

    Holli rolled her eyes. "Can''t really use that."

    "Nah, he''d be proud of that," she agreed.

    Holli had seen a few instances of elven racism, even in the Inquisition. They were just looked down upon. She had asked Solas why; it turned out there was a fair bit of bloody history, subjugation, betrayal, and slavery... Also, they looked different to humans. Not so different from her own world in some places.

    The pair sat silently while they tried to figure out if there was indeed some way to use this.

    "You ever thought about just lying?" Sera asked.

    "I did, but given his reputation, I''d need something more concrete and irrefutable."

    "What are you two doing?"

    Both looked up from where they were squatting on the ground to find Iron Bull stepping out of the bushes.

    "Ah, you''re not shitting, are you?"

    "We are, pervert," Sera retorted.

    Iron Bull reached out with his foot and nudged Sera''s shoulder, tipping her over.

    "Who wants to perve on little girls? That''s disgusting. Where''s the firewood? It''s getting low."

    "We haven''t found any yet," Holli said.

    They hadn''t been gone that long.

    "Well, let''s get to it."

    "You''re here to help us?" Holli asked, getting to her feet.

    "Cassandra doesn''t want you out here with just this one for protection," Bull told her.

    Cassandra had brought more people with them this time around. All of them¡ªVarric, Solas, Bull, Blackwall, Vivienne, Sera, and herself. Despite Holli getting better with her magic, if Cassandra had her way, Holli would be wrapped in bubble wrap and carried around on someone''s back. Or maybe one of those baby bags that sat on the front.

    Holli understood she was the only one who could close the Breach right now, but Cassandra''s protectiveness was going a little overboard. And it wasn''t as if Holli was particularly reckless and impulsive. There had been the one incident at the Crossroads ages ago. And every day her magic improved and became stronger. Solas had even taught her a few aggressive spells of his own.

    They wandered about the woods and gathered wood; by the time they got back to camp, Sera and Holli had a few pieces each, and Bull was loaded. That would probably be enough to get them through the whole night.

    Holli grabbed one of the books Josephine had given her and sat by the fire to read.

    "Found anything useful?" Varric asked, poking at the flames with a stick.

    "Not really. It''s all more about the Templars and not so much the Seekers of Truth."

    "The Seekers of Truth don''t have much of a written history," Cassandra told her. "And what we do have is kept from the public."

    "Why? What are you all hiding?"

    "Our abilities and how we came to attain them for the most part. But there is much of our history most of us are not made privy to."

    "You don''t find that suspicious?"

    "Yes. But I am also aware that what we do is necessary, and we do help and protect the people."

    "So is it an ''ends justify the means'' type of organization?" Holli asked.

    "I wouldn''t quite put it that way," a little hesitancy to her reply.

    Holli didn''t bother pushing further. If Cassandra had anything that might help, Holli was pretty sure she would have offered it by now.

    She really was all in for the cause.

    -

    "The Herald of Andraste!"

    Holli was getting used to the title; enough she didn''t cringe every time she heard it anymore. She looked towards the voice where a pair of men in masks came to her.

    "Lord Esmeral Abernache," he greeted. "Honoured to participate. It is not unlike the second dispersal of the reclaimed Dales."

    Holli wasn''t familiar.

    "Ah, Lady Vivienne!" He smiled widely when Vivienne came to stand beside Holli. "We met at last summer''s ball? The Duke introduced us."

    "Indeed, I could not possibly forget the occasion."

    "The Lord Seeker is willing to hear our petition about closing the Breach. A credit to our alliance with the Inquisition. Care to mark the moment? Ten Orlesian houses walk with you."

    "It''s a shining day to have the best of Orlais in step with the Inquisition," Holli laid it on thick, offering a radiant smile. "The first of many inspirational and influential partnerships, I hope."

    "Oh, you''re a sweet little thing. People will give you anything." He gestured for her to walk with him, the others falling into step behind them.

    They walked along the bridge towards the fortress; the banners of the Order hung over the gate.

    "Here we are!" The man said, spreading his arms wide. "Therinfal Redoubt."

    "The Lord Seeker abandoned the White Spire to come here," Cassandra all but spat the words.

    "It appears they''ve sent someone to greet you," Abernache told her. "Present well. Everyone is a little tense for my liking."

    There was a Templar or a Seeker¡ªshe wasn''t sure which¡ªwaiting for them at the gate. She recognised him from Val Royeaux when they''d met Lucius.

    "I present Knight-Templar Ser Delrin Barris, second son of Bann Jevrin Barris of Ferelden," a man introduced them. "Ser Barris, may I be so honoured as to present Lord Esmeral Abernache...?"

    The templar completely ignored him, his eyes fixed on Cassandra as he came towards her.

    "I''m the one who sent word to Cullen," he told her. "He said the Inquisition works to close this Breach in the Veil. I didn''t think you''d bring such lofty company. This... promise of status has garnered interest from the Lord Seeker. Beyond sense. The sky burns with magic, but he ignores all calls to action until your friends arrive."

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "Should a Seeker lead the Templars this way?" Holli asked Cassandra.

    "In an emergency," she replied. "If there is no other recourse, but his goal should be to restore them to order."

    "He has taken command. Permanently," Barris told them.

    "If he feels there is a holy mandate..." Cassandra said.

    "That is what he claims, and our Commanders parrot him," he sighed. "The Lord Seeker''s actions make no sense. He promised to restore the Order''s honour, then he marched us here to wait? Templars should know their duty, even when held from it."

    "''Bout time one of you gobs said that," Sera muttered, earning a snicker from Holli, which got them both a glare from Barris.

    "Win over the Lord Seeker, and every able-bodied knight will help the Inquisition seal the Breach."

    "If you know what you should be doing, can''t you just overthrow the Lord Seeker and join us anyway?" Holli asked. "A mutiny, or desert, or something?"

    "We cannot abandon our orders. Not while the officers who survived the Conclave follow him. We''ve been asked to accept much after that shameful display in Val Royeaux. Our truth changes on the hour."

    Barris gestured for them to follow him further into the fortress.

    "The Lord Seeker has a...request before you meet him."

    "What is it?" Cassandra asked.

    "It''s a request of the Herald," Barris said. "The Lord Seeker asked for her by name."

    "My name''s not Herald," she groaned.

    "He called you Lady Whitlock. He changed everything to meet you."

    This had her brows furrowing. She didn''t go around giving people her name very often. In fact, she hardly told anyone at all outside of those she saw regularly. She looked to Cassandra questioningly.

    "Your name has spread farther than you realise," she said.

    Holli was uncomfortable with that.

    "Why''d he change everything?" She asked Ser Barris.

    "I don''t know. He''s been fixated on you for some time now."

    "Fine, what do I have to do?"

    He explained the standards she had to raise¡ªthe people, the Maker, and the Order. He wanted to see what order she''d put them in. She hoped he was watching.

    She stepped up to the wheel of the people, raising it as high as it would go. She had no love or even fondness for the Maker or the Order. But the people, they were who they were doing this for. So people could stop being attacked by demons, to bring back a semblance of normality to their lives. She didn''t touch the other flags, returning to Barris and wondering if he would make her do it again.

    She wasn''t altruistic, definitely not a hero of the people or anything like that¡ªhere or in her own world. But when shit happened, it was the normal people who tended to suffer the most, those just trying to get by. And she had seen what this mess was doing to the people in this world.

    He did ask her to explain her choice.

    "It''s not obvious?" She asked.

    "I suppose it is," he conceded.

    -

    Holli looked around, confused about where she was and how she came to be here. The air here felt different¡ªwrong. And the fogginess was giving her Silent Hill vibes¡ªa favourite game and a favourite movie of hers. Though now she wondered if she needed to watch out for creatures similar to theirs.

    Through the fog she could see fire and hesitantly walked towards it. The others had vanished; she wasn''t sure how or where to. The stupid Lord Seeker did something to her.

    When she got closer, she could see the flames were coming from people; they looked like the corpses from the ruins at the base of the Breach.

    She wove her way through them, careful to avoid them. Though she wasn''t sure if they were really there. There was no heat from the fire.

    At the end of the pathway, Cullen and Josephine were standing there. They looked empty and unnaturally still.

    Leliana appeared, stepping between the two.

    "Is this shape useful? Will it let me know you?"

    Probably not. Holli liked Leliana well enough, but they weren''t close and really didn''t know much about each other at all.

    "Everything tells me about you," she said, moving to stand behind Cullen, drawing a blade, and bringing it to rest against his throat. "So will this: watch."

    Holli wasn''t sure what to do. She was pretty sure this wasn''t real. Cullen and Leliana were back in Haven.

    "What are you?" Holli asked.

    The fake Leliana sliced her blade across his neck, black blood pouring out of him, and he dropped to the ground. Black blood, definitely not real then.

    "''What are you?''" The fake Leliana imitated Holli''s words and voice flawlessly before vanishing.

    This wasn''t going to go anywhere good.

    There was a high-pitched laugh from the darkness, and Josephine came walking out of it, the same dagger the fake Leliana had had was in her hand.

    "Being you will be so much more interesting than being the Lord Seeker," she said, toying with the dagger in her hands.

    The Lord Seeker was possessed! That was why he had been making so many strange decisions. Was this demon the Elder One the Knight-Commander had been spouting off about?

    When Holli turned to follow Josephine with her eyes, the woman was gone.

    "Do you know what the Inquisition can become? You''ll see."

    Holli whirled around, but there was no one there.

    "When I''m done, the Elder One will kill you and ascend. Then I will be you."

    The voice sounded from all around her. So this demon wasn''t the Elder One then.

    "This Elder One thinks he can become a God? Not very original..."

    That cackling laugh sounded again. "He knows. He was there."

    Josephine appeared in front of her again.

    "Glory is coming," she said. "And the Elder One wants you to serve him like everyone else: by dying in the right way." The woman backed away before stalking into the thick fog and out of sight.

    "I am Envy, and I will know you!"

    Holli turned to see Cullen standing there now.

    "Tell me Herald, in your mind, what do you think? Tell me what you feel.

    He stabbed a shade of herself, the thing dropping to the ground. Honestly, right now it was all just fear and confusion. She at least understood she was dealing with a demon¡ªa demon of envy. It wasn''t killing her, though. It had to learn how to be her first, maybe?

    A red light grew from the fog up ahead, and Holli followed it, not sure what else to do. But standing there wasn''t going to get her out of here. Beneath the red light, she could see the shade of herself again, of when she had woken in the dungeon of the Chantry, her hands in that stockade. Cassandra was pacing back and forth.

    "Our one chance to make peace between the mages and templars, and now it''s over!" She spat.

    Holli watched a moment, but it was just a reenactment of what happened, although Cassandra was a lot more blamey than she had been.

    The demon obviously wanted her to follow a specific path, showing her visions of what the Inquisition could become once the demon had possessed her. Would anyone realise it wasn''t her? Surely Solas and Vivienne would notice, even if the demon perfected its act.

    The further she progressed, the more twisted the place became, with tables and chairs sitting on walls, desks and shelves on the roof, and interior rooms with grass floors and gnarled trees in the walls...

    As she was leaving one of these rooms, a new voice called out to her; it didn''t sound like the demon; it wasn''t taking the guise of anyone she knew.

    "Wait."

    She looked around but couldn''t see anyone. She warily went back into the room, but there weren''t even very many hiding places.

    "Envy is hurting you," the voice said. "Mirrors on mirrors on memories. A face it can feel but not fake. I want to help. You, not Envy."

    He sounded young.

    "How do I know you''re not Envy and this isn''t a lie?"

    "I''m not a lie. I''m Cole. We''re inside you. Well, I am. You''re always inside you."

    She turned around for the source and found a boy standing upside down from the roof. He couldn''t have been much older than her. Seventeen, eighteen maybe? He looked pale and maybe a bit malnourished, and his shaggy hair could have used some conditioner.

    "It''s easy to hear, harder to be a part of what you''re hearing. But I''m here, hearing, helping. I hope."

    She moved closer to him, but it was difficult to see his face beneath the wide-brimmed hat.

    "Envy hurt you, is hurting you. I tried to help. Then I was here, in the hearing. It''s¡ªit''s not usually like this."

    "We''re in my head? Not the Fade?"

    "Yes, in your head."

    "Am I possessed? Christ, if you''re not Envy, how many other people are in here?"

    There was a bone-chilling screech from outside the door, and she backed up, wanting more distance between her and it.

    "I was watching. I watch. Every Templar knew when you arrived. They were impressed, but not like the Lord Seeker."

    She looked behind her where the boy was sitting on the headboard of the bed.

    "Because the Lord Seeker is Envy, and Envy wants to be me," she sighed.

    "Yes. It twisted the commanders, forced their fury, their fight. They''re red inside."

    "We''re all red inside," she told him.

    "Wrong red," he shook his head. "Anyway, you''re frozen; Envy is trying to take your face. I heard it and reached out, and then I was here."

    She pursed her lips, thinking his words over.

    "If it bothers you, I can make you forget. That helps."

    Before she could say anything, he shook his head.

    "No, you need all of you right now to fight. Maybe later."

    "I''m not much of a fighter," she told him.

    "It''s your head."

    "Yeah," she said, waving around at the decor. "Why is it like this in here?"

    She''d have thought it would resemble more of her own world and what she was familiar with.

    He stood up, walking across the bed towards her. "All of this is Envy: people, places, power. If you keep going, Envy stretches. It takes strength to make more. Being one person is hard. Being many, too many, more and more, and Envy breaks down, you break out."

    "So we just have to keep moving, tire it out?"

    "Maybe. I hope it helps. It''s more than sitting here waiting to lose your face."

    "I would rather keep my face," she agreed.

    "It''s a good face," he added, his head tilting to the side slightly as he looked at her.

    She could feel her cheeks heat up at his words. "Ah, thank you. I- I like your hat."

    She was shite at receiving compliments like that and shite-er at giving them. Maybe she should have said he had a nice face too. He was cute.

    At her words, a smile lit up his face. He was even cuter when he smiled.

    She shook the thought off. Now wasn''t the time!

    "All right, tire Envy out. I can do that. I''m exhausting to deal with."

    She could put on a brave face, but the thought of dealing with a demon alone did scare her.

    "This way," Cole said, leading her out of the room.

    She breathed a silent sigh of relief he had decided to help her. If left to her, she would never have been able to ask.

 Chapter 15

    She lost track of Cole fairly quickly into their foray through her mind. But she would hear his voice now and then, encouraging, guiding. Especially at times when she would start to forget it wasn''t real. The things the demon showed her, of a world devastated at her word. It seemed to believe she could become some kind of leader to the Inquisition. Or perhaps it would try and make her one.

    But whenever she got lost, or when she would get too absorbed in what she was seeing, overcome by all the death and destruction, Cole''s voice would pull her from it, guide her past it.

    Just keep going up.

    As she climbed to the top of the stairs, eyeing the big, heavy wooden doors before her, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to come face to face with the shade of herself. It grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the doors.

    "Unfair, unfair!" It spat. "That thing kept you whole, kept you from giving me your shape!"

    It lifted her off the ground, her feet unable to touch it. Her hands clawed at the shade''s wrist as she struggled for breath.

    "What could you gain from being me?" She gasped out.

    She had no power in the Inquisition. She wasn''t a leader; she wasn''t one of the decision-makers. The only decision she''d made was to enlist the templar''s help, and look where that had led them!

    "We''ll start again. More pain this time. The Elder One still comes."

    It raised its other hand to her face, the greenish glow of some kind of magic circling around it.

    "It''s frightened of you," she heard Cole''s voice again, and so did the demon.

    It was enough to distract it as it turned to shout at the boy. She raised her hands, blasting it back with fire. It dropped her to the ground, and everything just... vanished. The next instant she was back outside of her head, Lord Seeker Lucius flying backwards, but shedding that skin as it hit the floor.

    She gaped at the horrifying creature in front of them, its body twisting and contorting as it let loose with an ear-splitting shriek. It dissipated into smoke and lightning, shooting off through the door and vanishing. The hall had more Templars and people in it; Envy flew right over them, creating a massive magical barrier to keep them out.

    "The Lord Seeker!" Barris cried out.

    "No, a demon," she said, rubbing at her throat where the creature had grabbed it.

    If it had all been in her mind, why did it hurt out here?

    "Did anyone else see a boy beside me?" She asked the others, looking for any trace of Cole.

    "What boy?" Barris asked.

    "Pale, wide-brimmed hat, blonde hair."

    "I saw no one. The Lord Seeker was alone when you revealed his true nature."

    She looked to the others. Surely Solas would have seen something. But they all just shook their heads, some of them looking at her a little concerned, like maybe she was going mad.

    "An Envy demon replaced Lord Seeker," she told them.

    "Envy! Then the Lord Seeker..." Cassandra trailed off.

    "Is caged or dead," Barris finished, his voice heavy. "And my Captain knew. It''s the red lyrium, isn''t it? I knew that wretched stuff was risky!"

    "Red lyrium?" Varric asked. "You''ve been using red lyrium? That crap''s more than just risky. It''s evil."

    "They often give us new kinds of lyrium. Our commanders... some used the red stuff first to prove it was harmless. The knights would have been next. That demon turned our leaders so we couldn''t question when this started!"

    "We need to stop it," Cassandra said.

    Barris looked at one of the Templars nearby. "Templar! What is Envy!"

    "A coward, brother."

    "It studies, makes fewer mistakes. But most of all, it hides," another answered.

    Sounded about right from her recent experience.

    Barris looked back to them. "We need our veterans. Our commanders have turned, but the lieutenants may still be fighting. We''ll hold the hall. You find the lieutenants and the uncorrupted lyrium stores. Bring them here, and I''ll give you Envy."

    "All right," Cassandra said. "For now, Holli, here is the safest place for you."

    Holli looked dubiously at the magical barrier not ten metres away with a demon that had tried to steal her face not ten minutes ago.

    Aside from that, she supposed it was the calmest place they''d seen, and there were plenty of well-armed Templars about. With the door to the hall shattered, the Templars were attempting to barricade it against the monsters the other Templars had been turned into. It was quiet right now, but it probably wouldn''t stay that way.

    "There are plenty of Templars here. Solas and Sera can stay with you. The rest of us will find the other Templars and the lyrium."

    No one argued her orders, and the heavy hitters left with Cassandra. Solas gestured for the three of them to move to a quieter corner of the hall. There were a few crates piled up there, and she and Sera climbed onto them to sit down.

    "Tell me what happened," Solas said, looking at her neck.

    "Is it actually bruised?" She asked.

    "It''s starting to."

    She explained what happened when Lord Seeker grabbed her, about being in her head, about having thought she was in the Fade at first, everything the demon had made her watch. And the boy who had helped her through it all.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    "Who, or what, was the boy, do you think?" She asked him.

    "Another demon probably," Sera said, picking dirt out of her nails with her little dagger.

    She looked to Solas for his opinion. No offence to Sera, but this kind of thing seemed more like his wheelhouse.

    "Without meeting him myself, I cannot say," he replied.

    "He wouldn''t still... be in here, would he?" She asked, tapping her head. Her eyes widened with a sudden fear. "I''m not, like, possessed, am I?"

    He didn''t outright dismiss the worry, which she was both grateful and unhappy about. He raised his hand, silently asking her permission before he touched her, used his magic on her, and she gave him a nod.

    He placed his hand against the side of her head, just gently, and she could feel his magic shift around her, into her. After a few moments he pulled away.

    "I sense no other presence in you," he told her.

    She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

    She leaned back against the crate, looking up at the roof. Never in her wildest imaginings would she have thought anything like this would, or even could, happen. Despite accepting she was here, there were still moments, some days, where it just felt so unreal, so fucking absurd.

    Back home, all she had to worry about was making sure her mum didn''t kill herself, didn''t get Holli killed, and her grades. Demon possession, death via sword or arrow, and figuring out a way to cross world barriers had been so far removed from her daily life it wasn''t even a wandering thought that crossed her mind.

    The barricade the Templars had set up suddenly blew inward, red Templars flooding the room. The non-mutated Templars were quick to act, clashing with their former brothers.

    "Quick, up to the mezzanine," Solas told them, ushering the girls through the throng of Templars and away from the fighting.

    From there, Solas and Sera used their range to fight. Though Holli had improved a lot with her magic, she wasn''t sure how her aim was, and she didn''t want to risk hitting an ally. Fire was what she practiced with most and what she found easiest to work with. Probably because it had been the first element she''d managed.

    At the other end of the hall, red Templars were still entering through it, but there was enough distance between their Templars and the door she could attempt to block it off.

    With her hands gripping the wooden railing of the mezzanine, she stared at the door, willing fire into existence. It shot up quickly, the flames taller than she had intended, but it did cut them off from the door.

    "Well done, Holli," Solas said, the praise causing a gushing warmth in her chest. "Be careful not to let it get away from you."

    She nodded, completely focused on it. She could see red templars on the other side of it, and she wondered if they would abandon sense and try to run through it.

    Cutting off the reinforcements gave the Templars room to breathe at least, but there were a fair few of them lying on the ground. Injured or dead, she couldn''t tell from here.

    One of the other doors to the hall slammed open, and more mutated Templars came streaming in. It was difficult to split her focus, but she conjured another wall of searing flame, managing to catch a couple of them on fire.

    A third door burst open, and she was ready to cut them off too, stopping herself at the last second when she saw it was Cassandra and the others. Thank fuck for that. The group immediately set to helping the Templars take down the mutants.

    When they were finished with the ones inside, Holli dropped the fire to let them take out the ones still outside. When the battle had ended and the hall had fallen silent, the three of them rejoined the others.

    The reprieve was temporary; there were more red templars out there making their way towards the Great Hall. Barris and his Templars would bring down the barrier while the Inquisition members defended them.

    "Should I block off the hall again?" Holli asked.

    Better to just keep them out than risk more death and injury.

    "Nah, we can handle this," Bull told her.

    "Just keep back," Cassandra told her. "While you may be getting better with your magic, you''re hardly battle trained."

    Holli huffed but did as she was told. Keeping a distance from where they would make their front line and where the other Templars were trying to bring down the barrier. Sera came to stand beside her, her bow in her hands.

    "I''ll be your last line of defence," she said, poking fun at Holli''s uselessness.

    "Lucky me."

    Holli kept one eye on the fight and one eye on the barrier. She could feel the magic from it being this close to it. It wasn''t like Solas''s or Vivienne''s. It was... it gave her the ick.

    When the Templars brought it down, that felt strange too, the way it just... blinked out of existence. Cullen had told her Templars ''denied'' magic. This sort of felt like they had just slapped it out of existence.

    With the barrier down, the Templars joined the rest of the Inquisition in finishing off the other Templars. Envy never made itself known; was it even still outside, or had it fled?

    Once the fight was over, Cassandra had Sera stay with Holli and the Templars while they left to take down Envy.

    While she didn''t want to fight, she hated this feeling of uselessness.

    "And they keep us little girls out of the fight," Sera huffed.

    "I think I''m the little girl, and you''re my babysitter," Holli corrected.

    "Well, you have the magical hand; can''t let anything happen to that."

    Holli grunted her less-than-enthusiastic agreement.

    When the others returned, it wasn''t without injury. Though whether that had been from Envy or the battle with the Templars, she didn''t know, but Bull had a big gash down his back. While Cassandra went to speak with the remaining Templars, Solas called Holli over.

    "Do you still want to learn to heal?" He asked her.

    Her mood lightened considerably. "I do!" She said, skipping over to them for the lesson.

    "Wait, I''m going to be your first time healing?" Bull asked, hesitance in his tone.

    "It''s for a good cause," Holli told him. "Let''s do this."

    Bull took a seat, and Holli stood behind him with Solas. Even sitting down, Bull was taller than her.

    "Now," Solas began. "As I''ve told you before, healing magic is about encouraging the body to do what it already knows to do, just at a faster pace."

    Holli nodded.

    "You merely need to funnel your magic into that process."

    "So, doing it this way skips certain healing stages? Or the body just goes through them quicker?"

    "Explain how a wound heals to me," he told her.

    "Blood vessels constrict, and platelets gather to form the clot. It''ll start to scab over to help protect the tissue underneath from germs. The blood vessels will open a bit to allow more blood flow. Fresh blood brings more oxygen and nutrients. White blood cells¡ªmacrophages¡ªwill help clean it and fight infection."

    "What is she talking about?" Bull asked. "She''s making up words."

    "I am not," she argued.

    "Ignore him," Solas told her. "Continue."

    "Blood cells arrive to help build new tissue, and they''ll create collagen, which acts as kind of a scaffold that other cells can be built on. It''ll start to look like a fresh scar, but it''ll slowly fade over time."

    Almost word for word from her books. She looked to Solas. They had spoken a lot about the medical field in her world as he read through the Atlas of Human Anatomy. He was smart and had probably retained most of what he''d read. But they''d gone into the different kinds of cells and their functions, and she''d told him about the different kinds of germs and how to protect yourself from them.

    "Now use your magic to make all that happen."

    He was curious to see if her more in-depth knowledge of the body''s healing processes would make a difference in how she used her magic to heal it. If she managed it at all.

    She placed her hands tentatively on Bull''s back, over the wound. He felt her magic begin to stir. It happened in a matter of seconds and had Iron Bull leaping out of his seat and yelping in pain. But the wound was gone. Barely even a scar. He''d never seen it done that quickly or so thoroughly. Even magical healing left far more prominent scars.

    "Ha! I did it!" She bounced up and down in her excitement at the accomplishment.

    "You did?" Bull asked, shifting so he could try and feel where the gash used to be. "Why did it hurt?"

    "Is that not normal?" Holli asked, her exuberance brought down by the fact.

    "Nor does it usually heal so quickly," Vivienne noted, taking a look at the site herself.

    "Shoot, did I fuck up? Is the wound still underneath the skin or something?"

    "Let me see," Solas told Iron Bull.

    The giant turned his back to Solas so he could examine him. When Solas used his own magic to assess the site, he found no trace of the wound, internally or externally aside from the faint scar.

    "No, it is completely healed."

    "So I just need to figure out how to do it without hurting and work on the scarring."

    Solas nodded. The fact she had done it so quickly was interesting, and she looked no worse for wear. Healing magic was by far a more draining application on a mage, no matter how skilled and experienced.

    Curious.

 Chapter 16

    On the one hand, Holli did like to be included in these meetings in the war room now, she liked to know what was going on even if she didn''t really get much say. On the other hand, they were kind of boring and at times served to remind her how little she knew and how useless she was.

    "How many Templars are expected?" Josephine asked.

    They needed to secure lyrium¡ªnormal lyrium¡ªfor the templars.

    "A few dozen veterans are coming ahead of the rest to help seal the Breach," Leliana told her.

    That made Holli''s stomach flip. Once they arrived, they would seal the Breach. If it worked, what little use she had would be gone. And she and Solas were no closer to figuring out how to get her home.

    "How soon until these veterans arrive?" Cullen asked.

    There was a flash of light and smoke from the war table where a boy was crouched upon it, examining something in his hand. The others in the room shifted back, the sound of swords being quickly drawn hurting her ears.

    "They''re almost here. Templars don''t like to be late."

    Holli recognised him, the wide-brimmed hat, shaggy blonde hair. Cullen and Cassandra had their swords out, ready to attack him, but Holli shifted close, holding her hands out in a halting gesture.

    "Wait!" She cried out.

    Cullen and Cassandra still shifted until they were either side of her, blades ready to defend her.

    Cole looked at her. "I came with you to help. I would have told you before, but you were busy."

    She had been busy, she supposed; she''d spent much of the trip¡ªwhile not walking or studying¡ªhealing. Even the tiniest wounds of her companions. She wanted the practice.

    "All good, Cole, all good. You just gave everyone a fright, appearing out of thin air," a nervous laugh escaped her.

    "I wasn''t air; I was here. You didn''t see me. Most people don''t until I let them," he said, sliding around until he was sitting on the edge of the table.

    "Call the guards!" Cassandra barked. "This creature is not what you¡ª"

    "A moment please, Cassandra. I would like to hear why he came," Leliana said.

    "You help people," Cole said, looking at Holli. "I want to do that. I can help."

    "You helped me a lot against Envy," she said, still grateful for it.

    He nodded. "I want to help. I can be hard to see. I can kill things that would hurt people, that would hurt you. I won''t get in the way."

    "Cole saved my life in Therinfal," she told the others. "I might not be me now if it hadn''t been for him."

    "You''re not honestly suggesting we give him run of the camp?" Cullen asked.

    "Not freely perhaps, but it seems a waste to¡ªhold on!" Leliana''s eyes darted about the room, her form tense.

    And just like that he was gone again.

    "Where did he go? Cassandra asked, taking a step back, expecting an attack.

    Holli grinned at the empty spot. Was he a mage? Because she would love to learn that trick.

    "He does that," Holli told them.

    "It''s a neat trick," Leliana said; her tone didn''t exactly sound impressed. "I''ll have people watch the boy, but let''s not be distracted from the Breach.

    Cullen sheathed his sword, then looked to Holli. "We''ll need you when the Templar veterans arrive. Take time to prepare while you can."

    She nodded, leaving them to whatever else they wanted to discuss. The Chantry wasn''t her favourite place, so she left it quickly, getting outside into the bright sun. Pausing a moment, she looked up at the Breach. How was she supposed to prepare for that? Last time they''d just marched her up the mountain and flung her at it. Well, she supposed warmer clothes and more comfortable boots would be one way.

    With all the walking they''d been doing since she got here, she believed she''d have an easier time getting up there than last time. All the exercise had definitely been working to make her fitter. She wouldn''t be running any marathons any time soon, but maybe she wouldn''t feel like death a quarter of the way up.

    Holli looked around; there were a few people nearby, none of them paying attention to her. There was a relief to her novelty having worn off by now.

    "Cole?" She whispered. "Are you here?"

    She felt his presence beside her before she turned to look at him. He was standing there, looking at her expectantly.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    "Hi," she greeted.

    "Hello," he replied, seeming a little unsure of himself.

    She started walking, having to stop when he didn''t walk beside her. Giving him a look, she gestured for him to come with her, and he hesitantly fell into step beside her.

    "I didn''t get to thank you for your help with Envy," she said. "So, thanks."

    He nodded, his attention drawn to everything around them. He almost looked dazed.

    "How were you able to be in my head as well, Cole?"

    "I don''t know. I was watching, and you pulled," he said.

    "I pulled you in?"

    "Not on purpose, you reached, and you pulled. You were lost. More lost than you have been."

    "I''m still lost," she muttered, kicking at a stone on their path.

    She tried to take each day as it came, one foot in front of the other, hope that shit would work itself out. But always at the edges she could feel her anxiety at what would come next just gnawing at her.

    Up ahead she saw Solas, brightening slightly and increasing her pace. "Come meet Solas, Cole."

    Cole obediently followed.

    "Solas!"

    The elf turned to look at them, his eyes immediately fixing on Cole, his brow furrowing slightly.

    "This is Cole, the boy from inside my head at Therinfal," she said. "Cole, this is Solas."

    Honestly, part of her was relieved he was real and she hadn''t gone a little bit mad. Part of her was mortified someone else had been in her head. At least she didn''t think he''d seen much given they''d spent most of their time in the parts that Envy had been screwing with.

    "Cole said I pulled him into my head that day," she told him. "Do you know how? If I was going to pull anyone, I would think it would be one of you guys."

    "I suspect it''s because Cole isn''t human," he replied, studying Cole.

    Holli turned to look at him. He looked human enough. Sure, he could disappear, but people in this world had all sorts of strange powers.

    "What is he then?"

    "That is a complicated question to answer."

    Before more could be said, they could hear a commotion at the gates.

    "The veteran Templars must be here," she muttered. "I should go. I''ll catch up with yous later."

    She hurried off, heading back to her cabin. If it went anything like the last time, she could end up unconscious for days again. How to prepare for that? Scarf down some food? Skull back some water?

    Would they want to go up there right away or wait for tomorrow?

    There was a knock on the door, and she answered it, finding Cassandra there. That was quick.

    "Are you ready to close the Breach?" She asked.

    "We''re going now?"

    Cassandra nodded.

    "Right, ok... I guess."

    Time to make that trek again. At least this time she would be warmer. And if it got too cold, she could use the warming spell Solas had taught her.

    It was possible closing the Breach would fix the mark on her hand, possibly even send her home. If her purpose here was to close the Breach, maybe whatever force brought her here would send her back.

    Holli followed Cassandra outside and down to the gates. It looked like a lot of people would be making the march up there. Not just Templars, but Inquisition soldiers, and Varric, Solas, and the others. It wasn''t the entire force, but it was a small army.

    Cassandra ordered them all to move, and they started trouping towards the mountain. Holli fell into step beside Varric, who was talking to Cole. After Therinfal, they already knew about the boy who''d helped her in her head. Not all of them had believed it, so his appearance here was quite validating for her.

    "You ready for this, little bird?" Varric asked.

    "Not sure it matters," she shrugged.

    Part of her was afraid of getting shunted back to her world. Mostly the fear that she would end up back in that bathroom, bleeding out on the floor next to Katie''s dead body.

    "Who''s Katie?" Cole asked.

    Holli''s wide eyes shot to his. "Are you... are you still in my head?"

    "Not in in, like before. But I can hear. Why would you wake up bleeding out on the floor?"

    Varric looked up at Holli then, his concern evident.

    "Uh, the- the moments before I ended up in this world were... pretty shitty. If I get sent home, I''m just afraid I''ll... still be in those moments."

    "But you''re here. Time still moves there."

    "Do you know something about it?" She asked, a sense of urgency in her tone. "My home? Where it is? How to get back there?"

    He shook his head. "But time is time. It stops for no one."

    "It stopped when we were in my head."

    When they''d come out of it, not even a second had passed.

    "It didn''t stop. Your mind just moved quicker."

    It probably wasn''t meant as a compliment, but the words still pleased her.

    It was a little easier climbing their way to the Breach this time around, maybe because they were a bit slower with such a large number. And she was dressed better, in her warm pink coat, snow boots, scarf, and hat.

    When they got up there, Bull helped Holli climb into the pit, effortlessly lifting her down. Holli stood in the middle, staring up at the sky. Her hand was sparking, but it was more a discomfort than the excruciating pain it had been last time she was here.

    She caught Solas watching her, and she offered a tremulous smile.

    "If this sends me home, it was nice knowing you," she said.

    He smiled back and inclined his head. She didn''t think he believed in the possibility but was too kind to dash her hopes. He followed Cassandra towards the Templars.

    "Templars!" Cassandra called their attention.

    "Focus past the Herald! Let her will draw from you!" Solas ordered them.

    Holli held her hand to the rift, her mark connecting with it. She could feel something else, the Templars, she assumed. Solas had explained how it might feel and what she would have to do. The Breach wasn''t fighting exactly; more like it was just being immovable and stubborn. She pushed harder, feeling it begin to give, likely because of the Templars. It hadn''t felt like this last time. It was starting to hurt though, like she was being squeezed. She cried out with the exertion of trying to push it back, or pull it closed; it felt like both at the same time. And then it shattered.

    There was a blast of blinding light and the sudden lifting of pressure before she was thrown back, hitting the ground hard. When her vision cleared, she looked up at the sky, nothing but clouds...

    She let out a laugh, relief mostly; she hadn''t died. Or fallen unconscious.

    Still lying on the ground, she could see she wasn''t the only one to have been thrown. No one was standing. She could hear their weapons and armour clattering as they picked themselves up.

    She would have done the same, but her body felt like jelly, weak and unstable. She was able to lift her hand and get a look at it. The light wasn''t as bright, but the mark was still there. Damn.

    Solas appeared over her. "Are you all right?"

    "Just savouring the moment."

    She heard the stones beside her shift and looked over to find Cole had lain down beside her.

    "The stones aren''t very comfortable," he noted.

    "Then why did you lie down on them?" She asked, lightly whacking him on the shoulder with the back of her hand. She felt a little giddy, like a gigantic weight had been lifted.

    "So you weren''t the only one left."

    Tilting her head around, everyone was up on their feet.

    "Just give me a minute," she said.

    "Because your bones are jelly?"

    "Because my bones are jelly," she agreed.

 Chapter 17

    Holli sat beside the bonfire, basking in its warmth. With her whole body weak and shaky, Bull had carried her on his back down the mountain. She hated feeling so weak and for it to be on display like that, but she''d really been incapable of taking more than a few steps at a time without a rest.

    She was feeling a bit better now, but still tired and drained. Vivienne had been kind enough to bring her something to eat and drink. And all evening people had been patting her on the back, thanking her, blessing her. It felt a little undeserved. She wouldn''t have been able to do it without the Templars. And she''d had little hand in getting this far in the first place. Cassandra had led them, with valuable input from Cullen, Josephine, and Leliana.

    The air about the village was jubilant. There was music, and dancing, and booze being freely poured. Since landing in this world, it was the happiest she had seen anyone. Even at Vivienne''s little party or whatever it had been when they''d met her. There it had seemed like people were just putting on an act.

    Holli looked beside her to see Cassandra taking a seat. She offered Holli a small smile.

    "Solas confirms the heavens are scarred but calm. The Breach is sealed. We''ve reports of lingering rifts, and many questions remain, but this was a victory." She gave Holli a meaningful look. "Word of your heroism has spread."

    Holli scoffed. "I hardly did anything. And if it hadn''t been me, it probably would have just been someone else. Maybe you would have lucked out and gotten someone useful."

    "It wasn''t someone else. It was you. It was you people rallied around."

    "It was the Herald of Andraste people rallied around. Again, could have been anyone."

    "We needed you, and you came through. We have yet to discover how the Breach came to be, and though we do not think you responsible, someone brought you into this somehow and for some reason. We feel it best to keep you close¡ªsafe¡ªuntil we have answers."

    Holli nodded, a little relieved they weren''t just going to turf her out now that she''d closed the sky. But there were still rifts, apparently; they''d need her to close them.

    "Strange days," Cassandra mused. "And more to come."

    She had barely finished the sentence before the sound of a bell rang out across the village. They both stood up, looking to see what was going on. Soldiers were running, likely having been trained on what to do if that alarm sounded.

    "Forces approaching! To arms!" They heard Cullen''s voice above the din.

    People started scattering in a panic.

    "Stay close to me," Cassandra said, drawing her sword. "We must get to the gates."

    Holli followed Cassandra through the crowd of fleeing people, running into Cole and Solas along the way, who joined them.

    "They''re afraid. Something''s coming," Cole said, no real urgency to his tone.

    "This bodes poorly," Solas added.

    When they got to the gates, Cullen was there with Leliana, Josephine, and some of the others, as well as a portion of Inquisition soldiers and Templars.

    "Cullen?" Cassandra asked.

    "One watchguard reporting. It''s a massive force, the bulk over the mountain," he replied.

    "Under what banner?" Josephine questioned.

    "None."

    "None?"

    The gates suddenly arched inward, firelight shining through the cracks.

    "If someone could open this, I''d appreciate it!" A voice sounded from the other side, urgent, a little worried.

    They opened the gates to find a man there, going by his staff¡ªa mage. Around him were charred bodies. That must have been the source of the firelight. The man was crouched on the ground, breathing heavily from the exertion. Holli followed behind Cassandra and Cullen as they went out to meet him.

    "Ah. I''m here to warn you. Fashionably late, I''m afraid," he said.

    He tried to stand up, stumbling a little; Cullen had to help steady him.

    "Mite exhausted," he explained. "Don''t mind me. I came to tell you what happened to the mages at Redcliffe. You''re not going to like it. They are under the command of the Venatori, in service to something called the ''Elder One.''"

    "This guy again?" Holli groaned.

    "You''re familiar? Good. They were already marching on Haven. I risked my life to get here first."

    "Awesome, now you''ll get to die with us. Welcome aboard!" Holli greeted with false cheer.

    "Oh, you''re a delight," the man grinned.

    "Haven is no fortress," Cullen said. "If we are to withstand this, we must control the battle."

    "Holli, get up to the Chantry; stay safe," Cassandra commanded.

    Holli reluctantly nodded. She wanted to help; she just didn''t know how. She started running back inside the village walls, hearing Cullen bark out orders and cringing when he added a ''for the Herald!'' in his little pep talk. She ran to her cabin, grabbing her backpack from inside and shoving a few valuables inside that she really didn''t want destroyed¡ªher books, what was left of her lollies, and some clothes. Then she started for the Chantry. There were other people grabbing what they could, searching for friends or loved ones; it was a bit of a stampede. Holli tried to help where she could.

    Outside the walls, she heard the sound of an explosion and whirled around to take a look.

    "Holy fuck, is that a dragon!?" She breathed out.

    "Herald!"

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Holli looked to the sound of the voice where Adan was waving her over. She wove her way through the fleeing people to meet him.

    "I need help moving some of the wounded," he told her.

    Holli nodded, following him back to the healer''s hut. Having only recently learnt to heal, she''d yet to come here and try to patch everyone up. There were a half dozen people in various states of incapacity.

    Holli came to the nearest, nearly slipping into him in her panic. "Where''s your hurt?" She all but shouted the demand, inwardly cringing at her words. She was no good in a fucking crisis; she couldn''t even get her words right.

    He was too stunned to answer right away, having the Herald yelling in his face.

    "His leg," Adan said, helping one of the others to stand. "There are crutches in the corner."

    Holli threw off his blanket; it was all bandaged up. Grabbing a pair of scissors from nearby, she cut it off.

    "What are you doing?" Adan yelled. "You''re meant to be helping."

    "I am!" She yelled back, holding shaking hands over the wound.

    Just like with Bull, she practically zapped the wound better, the man crying out in pain. But it quickly died as the hurt settled and he saw his completely healed leg.

    "Maker''s Breath," he breathed out.

    "No time," Holli told him. "Help or get to the Chantry."

    Holli moved on to the next person; both his legs were gone. Shit, that might be a bit more difficult.

    "Fuck, okay, let''s take a crack at that," she muttered more to herself.

    She had no idea if she could manage this, but she wouldn''t know until she tried. She rested her hands on his legs and started healing. He started screaming and thrashing.

    "Hold him down!" She ordered.

    "Lass, magic can''t restore¡ª"

    He cut himself off when he saw the legs were starting to grow. "Sweet Maker."

    He gestured for one of the others to help hold him in place and gave the man something to bite down on. Holli continued to heal him, new bone and flesh growing from the stumps. He was howling the entire time; the process was obviously a painful one. But it looked like he was trying to keep still as he watched his limbs regrow. The others wore equally shocked looks on their faces despite doing what needed to be done.

    "There, get to the Chantry," she told him when he had his legs back.

    They were staring at her, disbelief and awe. What? They knew mages could heal people.

    She clapped her hands loudly, snapping them from their daze. "Move!"

    She moved along, healing those still there as quickly as she could. The healing process obviously caused them a lot of pain, but once that died down, they were all better and ready to go, if a little exhausted¡ªeither help or get to the Chantry. Thank fuck they all chose to help.

    "I didn''t know you could heal," Adan said.

    "I just learnt the other day. I don''t know how to do it without hurting them."

    "I think that''s the least of their worries, lass. Help me with these; no doubt we''ll have more wounded, and you''re going to run out of steam soon."

    Weirdly enough, the healing didn''t seem to have drained her all that much. Nowhere near as bad as closing the Breach. That had taken it out of her. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Outside the healer''s hut, they could hear fighting, shouting... dying screams. She helped Adan store what healing poultices and supplies they could, then carried them up to the Chantry. Enemy forces had breached the walls; it wasn''t safe. And she was weighed down with her backpack and the crate of healing supplies she was carrying.

    She ran with Adan, trying to keep away from the fighting. When one of the Venatori saw them, no enemy of his own to face, he charged at them. In her panic, she felt her magic surge, and he just... exploded. Bits of him splattered across her and Adan. She looked with wide eyes to the man, trying to stutter out an apology, or an explanation, or something. She didn''t know what.

    "It was us or him. Keep moving," Adan told her.

    They kept running, Inquisition soldiers doing what they could to defend them as they passed. At one point, she was almost struck by an arrow¡ªwould have been had Cassandra not been there, catching it on her shield. Holli shot her a grateful look and kept running.

    They made it to the Chantry, Holli trying to suppress the horror of actually killing someone. It was self-defence... She had to protect her and Adan so they could help the people in the Chantry. Which was full of people, non-combatants. There were plenty of injured from what she could see, plenty of fear and panic. Holli followed Adan towards the back, where he was talking about setting up a triage station. They set down the crates they carried to get started.

    A commotion at the front drew her attention, where she saw more soldiers running, Cullen shutting the doors behind them.

    "I''ll be back in a minute, Adan," she told him, heading up to the others to find out what was going on.

    She recognised their newcomer helping a very injured Roderick to a seat.

    "A brave man," he told her. "He stood against a Venatori."

    "Stopped clocks," she muttered.

    The Chancellor had never grown on her.

    "Our position is not good," Holli heard Cullen telling the others. "There has been no communication, no demands. Only advance after advance."

    "There was no bargaining with the mages, either. The Elder One takes what he wants."

    "Who are you? Who is the Elder One exactly?" Holli asked.

    "Dorian Pavus," he greeted, examining Roderick''s wound. "The Elder One is more of a what than a who. And from what I gathered in Redcliffe, it marched all of this way to take your Herald."

    They all looked at her; she felt her stomach sink. She shrugged off her backpack and handed it to Varric.

    "Fuck me..." she sighed out, turning towards the door.

    "What are you doing?" Solas asked.

    "I''d rather walk out under my own steam than be tossed out by a panicked mob," she told them, her eyes looking across at the people gathered, some of them clearly listening.

    "Hold on, you''ll do no such thing, and no one is tossing you out there," Cullen told her.

    "Look, whatever he wants must have something to do with the mark on my hand. Maybe he knows how to remove it. Maybe once he has me, he''ll leave Haven alone. Once everyone here is safe, mount a rescue mission or something."

    "Those are some heavy maybes," Dorian pointed out. "He also might just want to kill you."

    "That''s also just a maybe," she jumped on that quickly, looking to the others. "He doesn''t know."

    "Look, we don''t hand over little girls to evil entities," Blackwall said.

    "I''m fifteen," she snapped. "Hardly a little girl."

    "Enough!" There was a fair amount of exasperation in Cullen''s tone. "This is not survivable now. The only choice left is how spitefully we end this. We can turn the last of the trebuchets to the mountains above us."

    "We''d bury Haven," Cassandra said.

    "Well, that''s not acceptable. I didn''t race here only to have you drop rocks on my head," Dorian said, stalking towards Cullen.

    "Should we submit? Let him kill us? Or hope he''ll spare us if we serve Holli up on a platter?"

    "Dying is typically a last resort, not first! For a templar, you think like a blood mage."

    "There is a path," Roderick interrupted, his voice raspy. "You wouldn''t know it was there unless you''d made the summer pilgrimage. As I have. The people can escape. She must have shown me. Andraste must have shown me so I could... tell you."

    "Would it work?" Cassandra asked Cullen.

    "Possibly. If he shows us the path."

    Holli sighed and reached out to Roderick, her hand on his bloodstained clothes. He cried out in pain, doubling over in his seat.

    "What did you do?" Cassandra gasped.

    "I fixed him. He''s not gonna be much use dead," Holli replied.

    Roderick sat back up, looking at his injury through the tear in his robes. He wiped the blood away, looking wide-eyed at the vanished wound. Healing him was the one time she didn''t feel bad about the pain that came along with it.

    "You healed him? Just like that?" Dorian asked, leaning down to examine the spot Roderick''s wound had been.

    "Why does everyone say it like that? I''m a quick learner."

    "Mm, I think you''re missing the point."

    Roderick was just staring at her, making her uncomfortable. "What?"

    "Thank you. You¡ªyou saved my life."

    "Don''t read too much into it," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

    The man had wanted her dead and had called her a murderer. The only reason she had healed him was because what kind of doctor would she be if she denied someone care for being an arse?

    Now, she needed to focus on what to do next. Because there was no way she was letting people die for her. She couldn''t live with that on her conscience. Every day her worry for these people grew as they walked into danger to protect her, all because of her hand. She had sealed the Breach now; the rest of the rifts could possibly close on their own, heal like Solas said the heavens would. She''d pretty much served her purpose here. The Elder One was here for her anyway. Besides, if she died, maybe she''d go home. Maybe he had brought her here and could send her back.

    But they would never let her go. She was going to maybe do something a little on the stupid side.

 Chapter 18

    Holli curled up, a sob escaping her as the pain hit all at once upon waking. She needed to move, but her body would hardly cooperate. She opened her eyes, nothing but stone and ice from what she could see through her blurred vision. No matter how she blinked, it wouldn''t clear.

    Had she died? Was this hell? It sure as shit wasn''t home.

    She forced herself to sit up, crying out at the pain in her arm as it gave out under her. She hit the freezing stone with a pathetic thud. Was the room spinning? Rolling onto her back, she stared up at... the roof? Icicles. Maybe she''d get lucky and one would fall down and kill her. She cradled her arm and started crying¡ªchest heaving, body-shaking sobs.

    She just wanted to go home.

    There wasn''t enough energy left in her to cry for long, and when it died down, taking what little energy she had left, she just lay there, body tense and shivering. She couldn''t even work up the focus or energy for the warming spell. Healing whatever was wrong with her arm was out of the question.

    It took every ounce of her will to peel herself off the ground. Her vision was still blurry and tinged red. When she rubbed her eye, some of that red came away. Blood. A head wound? Like a moron, she felt around with her fingers, wincing at the pain when she found it.

    Just walk.

    She didn''t know where she was going or if it was the right way. And she was so cold. When she stepped out of the cave and into knee-deep snow, she nearly spiralled into a panic. The snow, the streetlights, sitting and waiting for someone to come and get her.

    "Mum?" It came out a croak.

    No, no her mum didn''t come that night, and she wasn''t here now. She wasn''t in London. She was in Ferelden. Or hell.

    Fuck, if she wasn''t dead and the others found her... They were going to be so pissed. She could vaguely recall the shock, their shouts as she sealed them in the Chantry, cutting the whole area off with a wall of fire so thick and massive even the dragon would think twice.

    If she didn''t feel so miserable, she would be patting herself on the back at how impressive that wall of flame was. Even better and bigger than what she had conjured at Therinfal. Way better. Way bigger. She was sure she had seen Dorian and Solas try to bring it down. They must have failed; no one came after her.

    Ok, maybe she wasn''t so sore and miserable she couldn''t be impressed with herself.

    It died quickly as she remembered how pissed the others would be. But she had done it¡ªspoken to the Elder One, buried Haven, maybe died?

    Holli looked back at the cave, wondering if maybe going back inside was the better idea, out of the blistering wind. Maybe it was the possible concussion, or the possibility she might be dead and probably couldn''t die again, but she started walking away from the cave.

    One foot in front of the other.

    -

    Solas was seething, and from the air saturating the troupe as they marched, he was not alone in his ire. Despite his and Dorian''s best efforts to dissipate her flame, they had not been successful quick enough. He knew her magic was strong; he''d not realised it surpassed his own in his current state.

    Dorian was obviously miffed about it as well.

    Her wall of fire had not only stopped them from helping her but had also stopped enemy forces from being able to follow. Many were grateful for that. They considered her a divine figure, the Herald of Andraste. Of course she would die for them; it was expected. On many of those who hadn''t known her personally, he could see relief.

    Solas just could not fathom why she would run off like that to face down Corypheus when she was hardly close to his match. The man commanded a dragon!

    Not much had been said since she''d left, but they''d seen the avalanche. She had at least been successful in that. And likely in killing herself.

    Did she make it home? Unlikely. But he hoped for her sake she had.

    He''d not realised how fond of her he''d grown until now. Likely a realisation being struck by a fair few of them.

    Even Sera was blissfully silent, lost in the mire of her sadness and anger. The two girls had been forming a friendship before this, often walking at the back of the group, their giggles reaching the rest of them.

    "Do you think she survived?" Iron Bull asked softly. "It''s possible, right? Her magic is strong."

    He drew a few looks, but no one had an answer.

    Solas was tempted to go back and pick over the area, attempt to find her. If she were buried, he wasn''t sure how successful he would be. But there was a restless energy in him, the desperate need to do something. Walking away as they were felt... wrong.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "She wanted to die, right?" Sera asked. "That''s why she did it? She thought dying would take her home. Like dying brought her here."

    "She never died to come here," Solas corrected. "She came close, but she never died."

    He''d made sure of it.

    "What are you talking about?" Dorian asked.

    "Holli isn''t from this world," Varric said. "She came from a city called London. In a country called England. Where magic and elves don''t exist, and dwarfism is considered a birth defect."

    Dorian was eyeing them sceptically, looking for the joke, for the lie. Varric''s tone had been flippant, a little acidic, but hardly joking. None of them were in a particularly jesting mood, and aside from Sera, none were prone to pranks.

    "She thought if she died here, she might wake up back home," Sera told him. "But she was too scared to test it herself. So instead she picks probably the worst guy to do it for her."

    "Is there a preferred candidate to murder her?" Dorian asked.

    The little elf looked like she''d sucked on a lemon at that.

    "The fire she conjured," Dorian looked at Solas. "That was rather powerful for someone who came from a magicless world."

    "Yes, it was," Solas agreed. He still wasn''t happy about what she''d done.

    "It''s a great loss," Adan said, a couple of meters ahead of them, carrying what healing supplies he had. A few others were helping with the other crates and sacks.

    "Wait a moment," Cullen muttered. "Bernhard?"

    The man walking beside Adan offered an exhausted salute. "Commander."

    "I thought¡ªHow are you-?"

    "Walking?" He asked, and Cullen nodded. "The Herald. She regrew my legs."

    "Impossible," Vivienne scoffed.

    "Saw it with my own eyes," Adan said. "I asked the lass to help me move those who couldn''t get there alone. To speed things up, she just started healing everyone. Six in all. Including two legs and a hand."

    Solas knew it wasn''t impossible. But he''d never seen it on such a scale. A finger. He''d once seen a colleague regrow another''s finger. And it had taken it out of him to the point he had been debilitated for a day or two afterwards. This was also thousands of years ago, before the Veil weakened magic.

    "Sweet Maker," Leliana breathed out.

    "What kind of mage is this girl?" Dorian asked.

    "I''d like to examine your legs when we have a moment," Solas told the man. "If that is all right."

    Bernhard nodded, reluctantly. Perhaps he was afraid Solas would undo the good Holli had created. Or it was more likely he didn''t want to be poked and prodded by an elven mage.

    "We should make camp," Cullen said. "Get tents and fires set up, then a small group can head back to Haven and... look for survivors."

    He received no argument. Camp was made eagerly, in the shelter of the mountain protecting them from the worst of the wind. Solas and Cole were among the first ready to trek back the way they had come and search for her. It would be dangerous given the recent avalanche; they would need to do it carefully.

    As they assembled to head back down, Inquisition soldiers joined them, and some of the villagers, and even a few templars. Solas had not been expecting such a large group. When they were prepared, they started back down the mountain. The wind was picking up, and Solas feared a blizzard could be headed their way.

    Hours had passed before Cole''s voice rang out over the wind.

    "Wait, I hear her," he said, his eyes darting around for the source.

    "I hear nothing but this damnable wind," Dorian said.

    "Cole can hear minds," Solas explained.

    Dorian let out a bit of a titter as he looked at the boy. "You''ve certainly amassed quite the group."

    "She''s hurt. And lost," Cole said, taking cautious steps forward. "She thinks she''s home, but her mother has forgotten her, left her in the cold again."

    That didn''t sound good. Hallucinating? Delusional? Their eyes scanned the snow, but night had settled around them hours ago; their torchlight only reached so far, and she had been wearing that light pink coat she favoured. It certainly wasn''t going to be standing out amidst the snow.

    Dorian summoned magelight, sending it swooping out across the snow.

    "There!" Cassandra shouted.

    They all ran towards the dark mass, realising it was her long black hair. She was lying down in the snow, her body racked with tremors, curled into a tiny ball.

    Iron Bull lifted her out of the snow, holding her tiny form close to his chest. Solas cast his warming spell upon her, but with how soaked her clothes were, he doubted it would do much.

    "Coryph- Coryph-ph-pheus," she stuttered out.

    "Oh shit, is she trying to say Corypheus?" Varric asked.

    "You''re familiar with the name?" Cassandra asked.

    "Maybe. Let me get back to you."

    They carried her back to the camp as quickly as they could, Adan and Mother Giselle rushing to help when they saw them. They put her on one of the few cots they had, doing what they could to seal the tent against the cold. After setting her down, Iron Bull left them to it. The first thing they did was strip her of her wet clothing.

    She would likely be appalled by that¡ªthey let Mother Giselle take care of her small clothes and her redressing¡ªbut if she didn''t want this to happen, she shouldn''t have run off.

    The first thing they needed to do was warm her slowly; they were sure she was hypothermic. She was shivering, her breathing was much too slow, her skin tinged blue. At some point on the trek back, she had passed out; he wished she hadn''t. He would have liked her to drink down some warm tea or broth.

    The three of them worked on assessing her other injuries¡ªa nasty head wound, broken wrist, and various cuts and bruises littered her form.

    As they worked on her, her big blue eyes slid open at one point, gaze disoriented and pupils dilated. But they fixed on him a moment, and a slight smile flickered across her lips.

    What was she smiling about? He was so angry with her.

    Once they had done all they could, they agreed to keep an eye on her in rotation, never leaving her alone. Adan offered to take first watch.

    Solas and Mother Giselle exited the tent, finding much of the camp standing outside waiting for news.

    "We have done what we can," Mother Giselle addressed them all. "She is alive. Now, we can only wait and pray."

    Solas stalked away from the tent, wanting some space, a few moments alone. His chest was heaving; his hand gripped his staff tightly. He tried to calm his temper. But her recklessness, that sting of betrayal, that surge of fear as he could do naught but watch her run off to what was likely her death.

    Although she was safe and sound in the tent nearby, that panic and anger still burned in him. He''d not felt anger quite like this in a very long time.

    He heard footsteps beside him; he could already sense it was Cole.

    "Tell me, Cole, what is running through her mind now?" He asked acerbically.

    "She is still lost, in the dream of a memory. Her mother, and cold."

    Solas would never admit it out loud, but he had been hoping for some sense of remorse or regret. It was petty and beneath him. But the girl had grown on him, and the thought of her loss hurt more than he''d have thought it would.

    Behind them, from the camp, he could hear singing, a Chantry hymn. They both turned back to look, Cole''s eyes softening at something Solas couldn''t see.

    "It''s beautiful when they''re like this," Cole whispered.

 Chapter 19

    Holli stared up at the roof above her; it was lower than she''d become accustomed to and made of fabric... She quickly realised she was in a tent. There was still a chill in her bones and a dull throbbing in her head and wrist. She recalled a cave, the bitter cold, and the way her whole body ached.

    She sensed a presence beside her and turned her head to look. Even that small movement hurt.

    Solas was watching her from the small wooden stool he was seated upon, leaning against his staff for support. There was an emptiness to his gaze she''d never seen before.

    "You''re mad," her voice rasped.

    "I am well beyond that," he replied, stone-faced and unnaturally still.

    Some part of her shrivelled up at his tone. Uncomfortable lying down for this, she tried to sit up.

    "Do not move," his voice was quiet but hard. "Your body was a litany of injuries, and hypothermia nearly took you in the night."

    He let out a breath.

    "Did you find what you were looking for?" He asked. "Your hand still bears the mark, and you''re still with us, so I suspect not."

    Holli blinked, her eyes starting to sting. She didn''t exactly regret what she had done, but she hated that it had made him so angry with her.

    "When you are well enough, we shall begin training you for battle since you''re going to be so thoughtless with your life."

    Her eyes shot to his again, surprised, but she looked away quickly, unable to face him.

    "I''m sorry."

    "Tell me why."

    "Why I''m sorry?" She asked.

    "Why you did it."

    It was difficult to gather her thoughts, trying to pull words from the fog in her mind.

    "I thought¡ªI thought he might know more. He might know how I could get home. And I''d already closed the Breach. I thought, I don''t know, if he was going to kill someone, better me than someone useful, right? Like you, or Cassandra, or Cullen?"

    The Inquisition still needed them. Especially since that monster was still out there and intended to¡ªwell, she wasn''t quite sure what his plan was. Rip open the sky again? Besides, if she did die, she might have gotten to go home. It had been so long, and every day the worry for her mum grew. Candace wasn''t very good at looking after herself.

    "That''s more self-sacrificing than I''d have thought you capable of."

    "Me too, actually."

    "And you think your only use was for the Breach? For someone so bright, that was an incredibly stupid thought. I''ll have more to say on the matter when you''re better." He cast her a look before getting to his feet. "I will have food and water brought for you. Rest; you have a fever, and there is much more healing to be done."

    A fever? That explained why she still felt so shitty. That and the guilt. The entire time Solas had spoken to her, his gaze never softened, and his tone remained icy. She bit her lip and tried not to cry, staring up at the roof of the tent.

    Solas stepped outside, taking a calming breath.

    "A little harsh on the poor girl, don''t you think?" Dorian asked from his spot just outside the tent.

    Solas cast a glance back at the closed tent flap. "I''d like her to remember this the next time she considers doing something so idiotic."

    He left to have someone bring her food. He knew he was letting his hurt drive his anger, but he hadn''t been lying to Dorian either. He did want her to remember his anger and his disappointment and think twice next time.

    "She''s awake?" Varric asked when Solas passed him.

    "She is."

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    "Good," he said, getting up from his seat to go and speak with her.

    "Perhaps give her a few moments," Solas told him. "You can take her food to her."

    Varric did so, following behind Solas as he dished her a bowl of hot broth, very slowly. It would give her some time to compose herself.

    "Make sure she eats it," Solas told him.

    When Solas finally handed over the bowl and Varric could go visit Holli, he found someone else had beaten him to her. Cassandra was lecturing her, Holli staring up at the roof of the tent, occasionally nodding when Cassandra asked her a question. Usually it was something along the lines of, ''Do you realise how stupid you were?'' Worded a little more harshly, but that was the general gist.

    When Cassandra was done, she stormed from the tent, gaze connecting with Varric a moment as she passed by.

    Holli noticed him and sat up, not without difficulty. "Your turn is it?" She asked flatly.

    "I was going to, but there''s quite a line of people with opinions about what you did. Doubt you need another one," he said, offering her the bowl.

    She sat cross-legged on her cot, holding the bowl in her hands and staring into it.

    "Not hungry?" He asked.

    "Not really," she replied.

    "Solas said to make sure you get it all down."

    With a sigh, she made a start on it. Varric supposed she didn''t want to tick Solas off any more than she already had.

    "So, why''d you do it?" He asked, taking a seat on the stool. No judgement, but he was curious.

    She gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Made sense at the time."

    "How so?"

    "Breach was closed, and he was there for me. Might as well have been me."

    "When we found you, you said Corypheus," Varric said.

    Holli nodded. "That was what he called himself."

    "Ah shit," Varric sighed out. "What else did he say?"

    "He thought he could remove the mark; he called it an anchor. He tried to remove it, but it wouldn''t work."

    You interrupted a ritual years in the planning, and instead of dying, you stole its purpose. I do not know how you survived or how you came to be there, but what marks you as ''touched,'' what you flail at rifts, I crafted to assault the very heavens. And you used the anchor to undo my work. The gall!

    Despite how sick she felt and everything that happened after, she recalled his words with vivid clarity. Not all of them, but those ones. He didn''t know how she got there either. She''d hoped the creature responsible, or at least partly responsible, would know a bit more or have some inkling.

    "Don''t suppose he gave you a detailed explanation of his dastardly plan?"

    "Not exactly, but he''s going to attempt whatever he tried the first time. I don''t really know what the goal was. He was going on about the Maker and the heavens and the Black City. I''m not sure, but I think he wants to become God."

    Varric heaved a heavy sigh. "Yeah, that sounds like something he''d do."

    "You know him?"

    "Not personally. But I know a guy. I''ll get in touch with him when we... figure out where we''re going."

    "Where are we?"

    "Up in the mountains, we can still see the ruins of Haven from here. The others are trying to figure out next steps. Did you tell Cassandra about Corypheus?"

    Holli shook her head. "I didn''t really get a chance. She came in to yell at me, not listen to me," she replied sullenly.

    "Yeah, you should prepare yourself for more of that."

    "I don''t know if I''m being stupid when I ask this, but... why are people so mad? I did it, didn''t I? You guys weren''t followed. The avalanche took out a heap of the bad guys."

    "Well, let me clear that up for you. You are being stupid for asking that. How can you not know? They''re fond of you, little bird. No one wanted to see you die, and you didn''t even give us the chance to come up with an alternative."

    "No one minded if I died that first day when they marched me up that mountain to close the Breach in the first place."

    "Mostly because we had no other choice, and there was a large possibility it wouldn''t kill you. Whereas what you did yesterday stopped us from being able to figure out another way, and we were forced to watch you march off into what we were certain would be your death."

    He gestured for her to drink more of the broth he''d brought her.

    "But you survived, both times. I''m starting to think you might actually be touched by divinity."

    She pulled a face at that, making him chuckle. He stood up.

    "Now, you''re going to have a few angry people come in to lecture you, I''m sure you''re aware. Best move here is to apologise, act contrite, and let people think you won''t do anything like that again."

    "Would it have been an issue if I were an adult and made that decision?"

    "Probably not. No one would have been happy about it, but they probably would have respected your decision."

    She shot him a look for that one.

    "Hey, don''t glare at me. Teenagers aren''t known for thinking things through. Look, you saved people, and you survived. That''s great. Don''t let it go to your head. Finish your broth, then get some more rest. You look terrible."

    He left her to it, and she forced herself to keep sipping at it. She didn''t just look terrible; she felt it. Dizzy and nauseous, and so very tired. She attempted another sip when a new visitor entered.

    Cullen. Okay, him she could manage. He got mighty uncomfortable when women cried. He came to stand before her, anger clear on his face and in every line of his body. She just let the tears fall. It wasn''t hard; she''d been sitting on the edge of it for a while now.

    "I''m so sorry," she said. "I thought I was doing the right thing, and I just didn''t want anyone else to die because of me."

    That completely took the wind out of his sails. She set her bowl down in her lap and started wiping at her face, muttering how sorry she was over and over. She meant it, but she definitely laid it on a bit thick.

    "All right," Cullen finally said. "Just... don''t do it again."

    He awkwardly left the tent with a muttered, Get well soon. Holli took a deep breath in an attempt to get herself under control and wiped off her face.

    "That was a bit more underhanded than I would have expected of you," Leliana said, slipping inside just moments after Cullen had left. "I hope your apologies to him were at least sincere."

    Holli inwardly sighed. It was going to be a long day.

 Chapter 20

    Solas kept his distance from Holli as she recovered. He checked on her, mostly once she was asleep, but beyond that, they''d said little. Though his anger had abated for the most part, he was concerned at the depth of his concern for her.

    He had not thrown in his lot with the Inquisition to form attachments but found himself doing so regardless. Most notably, Varric and his own little mentee, Holli. He had a healthy respect for most of the others and tolerance bordering civility for the rest. But he''d found himself enjoying the conversations he often shared with Varric, even if they disagreed on much. They were able to debate it without resorting to anger or even irritation most of the time.

    And Holli was a remarkable student, so quick and eager to learn. With potential he had not imagined when he''d first realised she was a mage. She could also be amusing and quick-witted when she wanted to be. She bore the pressure she carried well, especially for one so young and her unusual circumstances.

    He couldn''t say with complete certainty why her actions had hurt so much. Disappointed him, yes. Angered him, of course. But the hurt... Of course he cared; one didn''t spend as much time with someone as he did her without coming to care for them. He just hadn''t realised how deeply it ran. It surprised him.

    Nor did he know what to do with it. And given what he must do, he could not see things ending well when he had to leave. It was clear she had grown attached to him as well, respected him as a teacher, a mentor. And cared for him as a friend and companion. He did not like the idea of hurting her when the time came.

    From his place on Skyhold''s battlements, he looked down in the courtyard below to see her walking beside Cole; they didn''t appear to be speaking, just walking. The unusual boy and the unusual girl.

    Holli still had a fever, though she wasn''t burning up like she had been. And she had enough energy to walk, though at the moment she seemed to be wavering. Even Cole was looking at her with some concern.

    They had managed to salvage one of the wagons, and found some of the oxen wandering about that escaped the slaughter. Holli had spent some of their trek to Skyhold resting in it. Given how people viewed her now, no one was going to begrudge her lying in the wagon. After her actions in Haven and the feats of healing she performed, they saw her as a hero. Her survival and the extent of healing she performed had reinforced their belief she was truly touched by divinity.

    He would give her a few more days to recover before he began her training in earnest.

    There was much to be done about the castle to bring it to a liveable state, repairs to be made, and cleaning to be done.

    There was a very different atmosphere over everyone since Holli had returned. A newfound hope and determination, almost a renewal of faith. Given the lows they had sunk to immediately after the attack, it was rather amazing the heights they now soared.

    Despite Holli''s unwellness, she had spent much of the day healing people, those who had been injured in the attack on Haven. Solas felt it was too soon for her to be exerting herself in such a way, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

    When she suddenly looked up, her gaze connecting with his, he only stared back. Her brows furrowed, curious and saddened. He would speak to her tomorrow, and attempt to put it all behind them.

    Holli''s mood sunk when Solas turned away and he disappeared into one of the towers. While she wouldn''t say he was avoiding her, their friendship was definitely suffering. She had apologised more than once. Promised not to do anything like that again. But it wasn''t enough. As much as it hurt and as guilty as she felt, she was starting to get angry with him. He was punishing her with his absence.

    Although there was that small voice in the back of her mind that told her he might just be done with her, and no amount of apologies and promises was going to repair that bridge.

    This was only their second day at the castle, but she and Cole had been exploring it as much as they could. Holli had tried to invite Sera, but even she was still annoyed at Holli.

    "They won''t be angry forever," Cole suddenly said.

    "Can you see the future too?" She asked, a little more snide than she''d intended.

    He shook his head.

    "Sorry," she mumbled; the guilt had been instant. Cole had been nothing but nice to her.

    "They''re barely angry now. It''s fading."

    Didn''t feel like it.

    Holli looked around; she had done all the healing she could. Everyone was as good as new. She would love to keep this magic when she returned home. Once she became a doctor, she could just fix people. At least those who had been injured. She had no idea if this could work on, like, cancer, or disease, or illness. So far she hadn''t managed to heal her fever.

    She could see Chancellor Roderick helping by bringing food and water to people. He''d had quite the attitude change since Haven. Nearly dying could do that to people.

    "I''m gonna go back inside," she told Cole.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Having arrived at Skyhold yesterday, everyone had bunked down in the Great Hall last night or tents in the main courtyard. Too tired and drained to do much else. Today people were getting a bit more organised. Barracks were being set up in the tower, and there were staff quarters beneath the Great Hall for the cooks. Various other rooms were dotted here and there that people were making use of.

    Adan had picked a place to set up the infirmary; Holli was planning to help him later, opting to deal with the injured first. And now she wanted to find a place to sleep, set up her own quarters. There had been a room at the rear of the castle; it looked like it might have been a study or an office. It was small, but it had a desk, and the walls were covered in books. Once she cleaned it out, it could be a nice little place. She didn''t have much of her possessions anymore, most of them buried in Haven. She only had what she''d been wearing and what she had managed to stuff into her backpack the night of the attack. Varric had been nice enough to hold onto it even after everyone thought she had died.

    It took some time to find that office again, and she was relieved no one else seemed to have claimed it. She set her backpack on the desk, coughing a little at all the dust that wafted up. Most of the mess was cobwebs and dust. Unlike some of the castle, the walls were still intact, and it had a sturdy door. This place would be perfect.

    She started cleaning the room up, dusting off the cobwebs, and carefully inspecting every nook and cranny for any spiders that might belong to those cobwebs.

    Once she cleaned the grime off the window, it let in a lot more light too, which was nice. It would be warm and cosy to sit in once the sun was in the right place.

    Once done with the room, she flopped onto the chair at the desk, a bit puffed. After days of walking, the exertion of healing, and still being unwell, cleaning was what tipped her over the edge.

    She was officially out of energy.

    She still needed to dig up a bedroll or a spare cot and a blanket. Or ten. The castle wasn''t the warmest place. The warming spell Solas had taught her would help keep her comfortable now that she could cast it on her own, as often as she needed. But at night... it was going to be nights of interrupted sleep if she had to keep recasting it.

    How to make this room warmer? Curtains over the window once the sun was gone. Insulating the place was unfeasible. A rug would help, and something to stop any drafts coming under the door.

    While she sat at the desk, she idly rummaged through the drawers, wary of spiders. There were quills and ink pottles, they looked dried out. Candles, a few coins, pieces of parchment. There were letters, the writing so faded she couldn''t make out what they said. The few books she''d plucked off the shelves and flipped through had been in readable condition at least.

    While she took a bit of a rest, she would read, recover some of her energy.

    -

    Holli jolted awake, a cry for help on her lips, and her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. It had been a few days since she''d had the nightmare of the school bathroom. Only this time, the bathroom floor had been made of ice, the walls and ceiling encased in it, strongly resembling the cave she''d woken in after... Haven.

    She had fallen asleep at the desk, her neck sore from the awkward angle. Quickly realising she wasn''t alone, she looked up to find Cole seated cross-legged on the desk she''d been resting on. He was watching her with sympathetic eyes.

    "Hey, Cole," she muttered, pushing herself back against the chair and trying to work the stiffness out of her neck.

    "You had a bad dream," Cole said. "All-encompassing cold and a shadow that felt too close."

    Holli nodded. No point in lying; Cole would probably know.

    "I know how to make bad dreams vanish," he said. "I can listen to them, hear their whispers, and make them stop. All that fear? It''s just leftover pieces of your worst days."

    "My dreams don''t come from the Fade," she told him. "Or they aren''t in the Fade, or however it works."

    She didn''t know if that would render him powerless against her nightmares. If this was something he''d done before, he''d only be familiar with Fade dreams.

    He nodded.

    "Can you see my dreams?" She asked. "Like when you were in my head?"

    He shook his head. "It''s like pieces of pictures, but thoughts. Or maybe memories. Not enough to work with for a picture."

    Holli let out a breath. "Ok. Don''t worry about it, Cole. I can manage my dreams. But thanks for asking. Did you come here for something?"

    Easier to change the subject. He gestured to a pile of blankets and a bedroll beside the door.

    "Because you''re afraid of the cold," he said.

    "I''m not afraid of it. I just don''t like it."

    "The cold makes you feel small, like the world is closing in, and there''s nowhere to hide. The cold¡­ makes everything sharper, harder. The edges of things stand out like a knife, and you can¡¯t escape the feeling that it¡¯s always there, waiting."

    Holli watched him, at a loss for words.

    "It¡¯s the memories, too. The way the cold makes your heart feel empty, like it could freeze right in your chest. It lingers, even after the frost melts, in the spaces inside your mind. The cold never really leaves you; it never left you.¡±

    "Stop," it came out a harsh whisper, but he must not have heard.

    ¡°I hear it in the way you breathe, the way you hesitate when the temperature drops. A fear wrapped in frost. But the cold is just a thing. It can¡¯t steal warmth if you don¡¯t let it crawl inside you. And you¡¯re not alone in it."

    He reached out and patted her head; she just sat stiffly, blinking back the wetness in her eyes and trying to swallow over the lump in her throat.

    Twice in her life now the cold had almost killed her. The first time she had been so little. Her mum had left her there, forgotten her, while high or drunk; Holli couldn''t remember.

    She quickly swiped at her eyes, and Cole dropped his hand from her head, studying her.

    "I''m going to go to sleep now, Cole. Thank you for the blankets."

    She wanted to tell him to shove his truth bombs up his arse but at least had enough restraint not to.

    "You''re angry with me."

    "Just annoyed. It''ll pass. As long as you keep this shit to yourself."

    Cole nodded. "Everyone is afraid of something."

    "What are you afraid of?"

    Fair''s fair after all.

    "That... I''m not real. I think I am. But sometimes I feel like I''m not real, a thought in someone else''s mind. Like I don''t matter. Like I''m nothing.¡±

    He said it so easily, like he wasn''t the least bit ashamed of it. It was a fear she had some experience in, the latter parts, the not mattering. She felt kind of stupid for her own fear now.

    Unsure what to do, she reached out and patted him on the head the way he had her. His eyes met hers, and he offered a tentative smile.

    "You feel real," she said softly. "And you''re definitely not nothing. If you start to worry about it, come find me, and we can... I don''t know, talk it out if you want." Holli dropped her hand and stood up. "Good night, Cole."

    "Good night, Holli."

    He vanished then, and she wondered if he was still there and just invisible, or if he''d actually somehow teleported. She waved her hand in the spot he had been, but it didn''t connect with anything solid.

    Heaving a tired sigh, she set about making up her bed on the floor.

 Chapter 21

    Before Holli slipped out of her bedroll, piled high with every blanket Cole had brought her the evening before, she cast the warming spell on herself to fortify her against the inevitable cold.

    She stood up, stretching her arms above her head and letting out a startled yelp.

    Solas was leaning against the desk, legs crossed at the ankles, a book in his hands. He pulled his eyes from the book and looked over at her.

    "You didn''t have dinner last night. You''re still recovering; you shouldn''t be missing meals," he told her, snapping the book closed. "Get dressed. I''ll wait outside."

    He placed the book on the desk; it had been the one she was reading yesterday when she''d fallen asleep on it. It was a book about lost magical arts. She had been hoping to find something useful to get her home. Even if it wasn''t helpful so far, it was fascinating reading. But it didn''t really explain how to use these magics. That was probably the ''lost'' part.

    Holli quickly changed out of her pyjamas, just a hoodie and leggings that had been sitting in the bottom of her backpack. She pulled on her jeans, thermal top, black Converses, and her coat. One of the ladies here had repaired it and cleaned it as best she could after the damage done to it during Haven and her trek through the snow after. She quickly brushed her hair so it wasn''t a rats nest. She had lost her beanie after Haven too; it was her only one. She couldn''t even hide her hair under it.

    She met Solas out in the hallway, eyeing him warily. He''d made it clear he was still pissed with her, by actions if not words.

    He started walking, and she fell into step beside him.

    "How are you feeling?" He asked.

    "Fine," she replied.

    "In the chaos of the last few days, and you being ill, there have been people who wanted to speak with you but were unable."

    He led her down the hall and up a flight of steps. He opened a door that led out into the garden, where there was a small group of people. She recognised some of them, the people she had healed the day of the attack, the ones who couldn''t make it to the Chantry on their own. At least not before she had healed them.

    A woman stepped forward; Holli recognised her as the woman who''d had no hand and a broken leg. She knelt in front of Holli, down on one knee, head bowed. With the hand that Holli had regrown, she offered a handful of coins.

    "If I had more, I would give it," she said.

    Holli stared a moment, her mind taking a second to process before she shook her head. Holli took her wrist, urging her to get up.

    "You don''t have to give me anything, and please don''t kneel."

    She wasn''t some tyrant holding people''s health hostage. What did they think she was, the American healthcare system?

    "You gave me back my sword hand, my livelihood," the woman said. "It is a debt I cannot repay."

    "There is no debt," Holli said, a little panicked. She looked to everyone else. "There''s no debt. Don''t make it weird."

    "We''re alive because of you," another man said; she remembered him, the legless guy.

    "My husband can walk because of you," the woman beside him said.

    Okay, cool, but it was magic. Lots of people could do magic.

    "Awesome, I''m glad for you, but there are plenty of mages about. If it hadn''t been me, it would have been someone else," Holli said.

    That statement drew odd looks; the small group gathered looked to Solas, and she got the distinct feeling she was missing something. Solas merely shook his head, dismissing whatever it was.

    "My wife made this for you," Legless said, holding out a beanie that strongly resembled her lost one.

    "I couldn''t get the pink you so favour out here; I''m¡ª"

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    "You made this for me?" Holli said, reverently taking the white woollen hat from his hands. "No one''s ever made anything for me before."

    It was sad, but true. Her mother didn''t even bother making a cake on her birthday. And her friends just bought her things, mostly lollies, nail polish, or books they thought she might like, usually from secondhand bookshops. They knew her favourite one. One year Curtis''s gift to her had been to pay her late fees at the library. She loved their gifts and appreciated them hard, but there was something to knowing someone had made something especially for her. Pumped time and effort into it.

    Holli held the hat in her hand, absently running her thumbs over the softness of it. It even had a pompom on the top.

    She looked to the woman, a wide grin on her face. "Thank you," she said, pulling the hat on.

    The action made the couple smile, the woman pulling Holli into a hug, which she awkwardly returned.

    The others gave her thanks as well, taking her hand or squeezing her shoulder. Holli spoke with them for a few moments, learning their names and what they did around the keep. Most of them had been¡ªand now were again¡ªsoldiers in the Inquisition''s army.

    When they left to return to their duties, Holli spun towards Solas, beaming and looking up at what she could see of the rim of the beanie upon her head.

    "It''s cute, right?" She said, more a statement than a question, as she lightly squeezed the pompom on top.

    "Yes," he replied, the faintest hint of an indulgent smile playing at his lips. "Do you see now, your usefulness beyond a rift key? But it is important that you know your usefulness to the Inquisition is not the most important thing about you."

    He gestured for her to walk with him again.

    "While I understand the desire to contribute, there are alternatives to martyrdom."

    She tilted her head to the side, all wide-eyed curiosity. "There are? Like what?"

    His eyes narrowed on her at her flippancy.

    "You''re not amusing."

    She disagreed, but whatever.

    "What was that about before? When they all looked at you like that," she asked.

    "Your ability to heal is... astounding, Holli. No one can regrow limbs as you did. It has been universally accepted as fact that it is an impossible feat."

    "Has anyone actually tried? Because I managed in, like, a second."

    Ok, a second might have been an exaggeration, but still...

    "Yes, people have tried. Far more experienced mages than yourself at that."

    "So why can I do it?"

    "The answer to that eludes me. When it comes to you and magic, there is much I have yet to find answers for."

    "Can''t just put it down to ''it''s magic?''" She asked, wiggling her fingers mysteriously.

    "Magic isn''t some nonsensical force without rhyme or reason."

    "Really?" This time she meant it, genuinely stumped at the concept. She had thought that was exactly how magic was.

    He had explained how it worked, but she had honestly understood it to mean there was little it couldn''t do as long as you had the power to back it up. Magic was literally used to alter reality. He had specifically said one was limited by their imagination. When she pointed that out to him, he''d looked at her curiously, a look that had quickly become speculative.

    "What?" She asked.

    "While I doubt your gift with magic is caused by something as simple as the way you view it, it may play a part."

    "Doesn''t everyone view magic this way?"

    "Perhaps once, they might have. But it is certainly not the case today. Magic is often met with fear and suspicion. Even most of those born with it see it as a curse rather than a gift. And another portion of the population see it as a means to power, a tool to subjugate."

    "I wonder if I''ll still be able to use it once I get home," she murmured, more to herself than him.

    "Which brings us to something else I must ensure you understand." He looked at her, expression serious. Well, more serious than his usual serious. "You did not die to come here. And dying will not take you home. That idea needs to be laid to rest."

    "But how do you know though? When people die here, they go to the Fade, right? Just another world."

    "The Fade is not ''just another world.'' And when they die, their spirits, their souls, go there. Is that how you would like to return home?"

    "But maybe it would be different for me. I''ve been the exception to a lot of rules so far." Apparently.

    "Are you willing to bet your life on that?"

    Holli let out a sigh. Not to the point she would kill herself to check. But maybe enough she''d take risks she wouldn''t usually take.

    "You''re sure it won''t work like that?" She asked.

    "Yes."

    "Fine," she conceded. "I''ll give up the idea."

    "Thank you. I know you wish to return home, but dying will not do it."

    Holli nodded. She would give up on the idea, but not entirely because she didn''t believe it. More because Solas seemed so certain.

    "I''m sorry if I worried you," she said softly.

    "''If''?" He quirked a brow at her.

    "That I worried you," she amended. "Because you... care if I die?"

    She winced at how needy that sounded and hoped he hadn''t heard it given how quietly it had come out.

    "Of course I care if you die, da''len," he replied. "So do the others."

    As embarrassing as that had been, she had to fight down a smile. Today was a nice day. A nice lady had made her a hat, and the people she had spent the last however many months with cared about her well-being. Even the fact he''d called her ''child'' didn''t diminish it. Maybe it was the subtle fondness in his tone or the softness in his eyes that took the offence out of it. Or maybe because he didn''t mean it as a slight or a reason to disregard her.

    Back home she had Curtis and Yvette, and her mum cared sometimes. But beyond them, she didn''t really have a lot of connections. And though she was fond of and cared for the people here, there was always that fear that it was one-sided. They looked out for her because they needed her. Maybe it had started that way, but it was nice to know it hadn''t stayed that way.

    "Cool. Cool cool cool," she breathed out.