Across Worlds

Ch 30 - The final battle

Two days later she was training in the yard with Cassandra when there was a commotion at the gate. Cullen and Leliana had returned with a few hundred of the Inquisition's soldiers that had pushed ahead of the main body of the army. Among the travel weary faces, she saw Carter.

"Wren!" he cried, his face lighting up as he ran forward to hug her tightly. She hadn't realized how worried she'd been about him until she saw him safe in front of her. If she had lost him the way she had lost Dawson she didn't know what that would do to her.

Evan greeted his advisors, but smiled at her before adjourning with them to the war room.

It was several hours later as the sun was descending and things were being prepared for the evening meal that a blinding neon-green light split the sky. To the east of Skyhold a huge rift swirled in the clouds, small bits of flaming debris falling from it.

"Impossible!" Cassandra said, "Corypheus has re-opened the Breach."

"What does that mean?" Wren asked.

"It means demons from the Fade have a way into Thedas. If Evan doesn't close the Breach again, it will swallow everything and end our world."

"I stopped it before, I will do so again," he said resolutely, striding down the stairs to the lower courtyard, still fastening his armor.

"Inquisitor, we barely have any forces to send with you!" Cullen said in exasperation, following him down the stairs. "You must wait until they return from the Arbor Wilds."

"The longer we wait, the more the Breach grows and the more demons we'll have to fight through. I'm sorry, Commander, but we go now."

Wren had already been securing her armor and finished with her bracers just as Evan turned to her. "Ready when you are, sweetie," she told him, smiling.

His gaze softened and he returned the smile, taking her hand and pulling her closer. "There's no one else I'd want kicking ass beside me, little bird," he said, kissing her fiercely.

They mounted up and rode toward the Breach, a small force of Inquisition soldiers behind them.

Wind whipped the trees as they rode into the valley closer to the swirling maw.

Rocks floated in the air around them, seeming to defy gravity. Red lyrium broke through the ground more and more frequently the closer they got to the Breach.

Corypheus stood in the entrance to a crumbling building. "I knew you would come," he said to Evan, giving him a mocking bow.

"This ends here and now, Corypheus!" he replied, readying his daggers. The sound of a hundred weapons being drawn behind him followed.

"Yes, so it shall. You have been most successful in foiling my plans, but let us not forget what you are, Inquisitor. A thief. An interloper. A gnat! In the wrong place at the wrong time. We shall prove today once and for all which of us is worthy of godhood!" He lifted his hands and a red blast of energy swept across the ground at them. They were suddenly surrounded by swarms of demons and the chaos of battle descended.

Carter and Wren stuck together with their unit as best they could. Dorian was suddenly beside her, covering the soldiers around him with a barrier and flinging bolts of electricity and fire from his staff.

"Ugh, fucking demons! What is it with all tha damn shite eating demons!?" Sera griped, the twang of her bow punctuating almost every word.

Wren swept the legs out from under a terror demon and flipped her sword around to drive it through the creature's chest.

The ground shuddered underneath them and that which the ruined building was on shot into the air. Her gaze followed it, seeing Evan, Cassandra, Solas, and Varric facing off against Corypheus. Seamus was barking madly at the rising rock.

"Seamus, to Wren!" Evan ordered. The war hound gave a final mournful whine at his master before bounding to her side as he had been told.

She wasn't able to focus on the floating rocks or Evan as the demons around her closed in. She blocked their slashing claws, stabbed them, and slashed at them, spilling dark black ichor from them with each stroke of her blade.

She heard the roar of Bull somewhere on the field rallying the Chargers, but it was quickly drowned out by the roar of a dragon. She dared a glance toward the sky, seeing not one, but two dragons grappling like birds of prey. One was clearly Corypheus' but she had no idea where the other had come from.

She tried to push down her growing worry for Evan and focus on the demons in front of her. She stood shoulder to shoulder with Carter, protecting each other's flanks as the battle wore on. She wasn't sure how long they had been fighting, but a beam of green light suddenly shot up into the Breach. The demons around them disintegrated and the swirling maw above them spun faster and contracted, shrinking down on itself until it finally winked out of existence.

Ragged cheers went up from the troops, but were quickly stifled as the large rock holding the ruins plummeted back to the ground. It landed with a resounding crash into the crater it had left. As soon as the dust settled around it, she ran forward.

"Evan!?" she cried out. She made it as far as the bottom of the stairs leading into the ruin before she saw Evan leaning heavily on Cassandra at the top. Varric was right behind them, a slight limp the only evidence of any injury on his part. But she didn't see Solas anywhere.

"Wren!" he said with relief, stepping away from Cassandra and wrapping her close with his left arm. The other hung at his side, clearly fractured. He was covered in scrapes and bruises, but didn't appear to have any other serious injuries.

What remained of their forces gathered around. Evan looked out at them and smiled through his weariness. "Inquisition!" he called, his voice carrying through the valley, "Corypheus is defeated! To victory!" He lifted his good arm over his head in a fist and a chorus of voices echoed his cry and raised their swords to the sky.

"Let's go home," he said more softly, so only she could hear. She gave him a forced smile trying to hide her sadness. I'm not sure where home is anymore, she thought.