Hunt

Chapter 1: The First Step

Lavellan

"Ouch," I hissed as Dagna, one of the best dwarven smiths in Thedas, made an adjustment on my arm prosthetic.

"Oh, sorry, Inquisitor," the small red head said. "I didn't think the enchantment would take so much heat to set."

"I'm not Inquisitor anymore. Just Lavellan. Don't worry about it," I replied, waving it off with my other hand. She nodded, but she probably didn't hear me as she made more adjustments.

Dagna was, in addition to being a smith, an Arcanist. The only Arcanist actually, as dwarves normally can't access magic and see no point in studying it. Obviously, Dagna had different beliefs. She had enough faith in them that she went straight to one of the Circles, a gathering place of the magic users.

"Dagna, do you ever miss your home?" She sighed and paused her fiddling.

"Sometimes, I mean family is family, even when they don't think so. I can't go back though, so it doesn't matter."

Shit, that's right. Orzammar, the main city of the dwarves, forbids entrance to any dwarves who travel to the surface.

"What do you think of our little trip to Tevinter?"

"Well," Dagna started. "There's a lot of old history and older magic here. Maybe we can find something Solas won't expect? I can look through texts and see what I can find. What did you find out again?"

I internally winced at his name. Solas, my ex-lover, turned out to be an ancient god of rebellion. He decided now would be a grand time to retake the world for the Elves.

"He woke up a year before the Inquisition was formed. Solas was too weak to access the stored energy, so he left it for the ancient Tevinter* mage and our eventual enemy, Corypheus**, to unlock. Solas did not realize that Corypheus was essentially immortal, and that the initial release of magic wouldn't kill him. I had been there when Corypheus tried to unlock it at the Conclave. He was going to kill the Divine. I intervened and grabbed the vessel containing the magic. Some of the power within it latched on to my hand, giving me my Mark. Once Corypheus was defeated, Solas vanished. A couple years later, we had the summit with the nations of Fereldan and Orlais to decide if the Inquisiton should remain. Qunari*** invaders tried to crash the party, but we ruined their plans. They were hunting Solas and thought we were all working for him. That's when the Mark's magic became uncontrollable. Solas was the only one who could remove it. Eventually, we found him, but he was more... powerful. To spare my life, he destroyed my arm that bore the Mark****."

"That's a lot of... Well, that's a lot."

I paused thinking about our romance. "Yup."

"He could be anywhere with those mirrors that can teleport him to a place where there's another mirror to step through; eluvians they're called? It would be so much easier if there was a map!"

I froze. "That is a good idea... Are we done?"

"One more turn... and there we go! All set. Good luck, Inqui- er Lavellan. What's your first name anyways?"

I grinned as I ran out of the forge without a reply.

I arrived in the main hall of Skyhold, a magnificent ancient castle that had been home to the Inquisition before it had been disbanded.

"We have finished packing, Lavellan," Leliana, my ex-spymaster, informed me. "Dagna and the others should be finished in within the next week at the earliest. Would you like to wait or depart in the morning?"

I hadn't realized how long my metal arm's upgrade had taken. "Let's depart in the morning."

Leliana nodded before disappearing into the rookery. I went up to my own quarters. An odd looking locket hung around my neck tucked inside my tunic. I pulled it out and opened it, revealing a strange glowing crystal inside. The locket had been a gift from one of my best friends, Dorian. He was a constant member of my party, but hand to return to his homeland of Tevinter. This was both due to the death of his father and his inheriting a place in the governing body, the Magisterium. Since he thought we were going to be apart so much, he found a pair of communication crystals that allow the wearers to talk to one another. It was just like talking to him if he were in the room.