Sisters of Tevinter

Court Jester: Part I

    "The hell is that supposed to mean?" Bull laughed, hefting his axe as he cocked his head to one side, scanning the courtyard. 

     Varric grinned. "Oh, you should've seen it. Some lordly stuff-shirt swept her off her feet-- they practically had the floor to themselves and it was lovely. Very impressive on Jor's part, she's a great dancer." 

   Solas cast Jor a tight lipped smile as the Inquisitor hissed a Tevene curse under her breath. Bull glanced down at her then, expression curious. "You dance?" 

    "When I have to. And not normally with liars." 

    "Birdie said something about that," Varric mused. "Not the real minister? Fishy."

   "I was a fool." 

   "No evidence of that yet," Solas murmured, eyes trailing absently over the rooftop terraces of the palace as they rounded the yard. 

    "He must be the assassin. Who else would infiltrate the court in such a way? Why?" Jor scowled, nausea stirring in her gut. "He's brought Venatori as a distraction." 

   "Perhaps." The mage leaned against his staff, pausing to glance at the sky. 

   Jor listened stubbornly to the insects and hum of the night, the muffled noise within the palace walls. Otherwise, the courtyard was silent. Her jaw set in a tight line. 

   Bull was watching her, considering something, as if teetering on the edge of some kind of decision. She caught his gaze with a quirked brow. "What?" 

    He smiled slightly, but the expression was bitter as he opened his mouth to speak. 

    There came a shriek from behind them, petrified and mortal. Small. The companions whirled. Yards away, from between the garden gates a young man in diplomatic robes was being pursued. Without making sense of the scene, Jor staggered into a run to help. 

    A darting shape of patterned fabrics, red and white paint and a jingling hat cackled, dancing with malicious glee to fall into a tumble, sweeping the young man's legs out from under him and driving a blade deep into the flesh of his back. 

    Blood flowed, the screaming stopped. High laughter rang throughout the clearing as the rogue Harlequin cartwheeled to the walls, scaling the pillars of the palace in acrobatic leaps and bounds. Horror made Jor's blood turn to ice in her veins as six armored Venatori sauntered through the gates, unhurried, drawing weapons as the murderer escaped into the higher apartments of the castle. 

   Varric loaded Bianca with a resounding click and a heavy sigh. "Not it." 

   Bull only let out a bellowing laugh, charging directly into the knot of warriors and swinging his axe. Beside Jor, Solas dropped his stance and lightning crackled over their heads. "Go!" he urged her, jerking his head in the direction of the assassin.  

   The Inquisitor hesitated for only a moment before leaping to grab hold of a marble pillar, hauling herself up onto the flowering gables and landing with a thud in a low crouch on the terrace, her knees aching painfully. 

   Something stepped directly into her path. An armored brute, spiked Tevinter helmet gleaming in the moonlight, his massive sword bloody. Jor could still hear the haunting laughter, fading within the castle. Her heart beat faster with urgency as she gritted her teeth and sprang. 

   The warrior brought up his sword, deflecting Jor's daggers easily. The scholar twisted, attempting to writhe past his side. A gauntleted fist landed a heavy blow to her gut, sending her sprawling.