A Candle in the Darkness (A Dragon Age: Inquisition fanfiction)

Viddasala

27 Solace, 9:44

If Antonia had expected to be able to catch her breath, take a break, eat a meal, maybe celebrate the destruction of the Qunari lyrium mine, that illusion was shattered almost as soon as they had stepped out of the eluvian at the Winter Palace. An Orlesian servant and an elven scout from the Inquisition were in the middle of a scuffle, and Antonia was called to mediate in order to avoid an international incident.

On investigation, they found a barrel of gaatlok at the heart of the argument. Gaatlok in the Winter Palace was, of course, not good, and the Orlesian servant claimed not to know where it had come from, which meant Antonia had to go back through the eluvian, chasing the Qunari. She didn't even bother to try to see Cullen in the brief space between eluvian trips; it would only upset both of them.

She and her team made their way through the rocky, dismal Crossroads, as Morrigan had once called the space between eluvians, and through more eluvians following a confusing, fragmented path.

The Anchor was burning and aching in Antonia's palm almost constantly, with occasional flares of pain that she could no longer even try to hide.

After one particularly intense burst, Dorian stopped her, taking her hand in both of his and studying it carefully. "Have you noticed," he asked her, "that the flare-ups seem to take place whenever you are near an elven artifact?"

Antonia shook her head. It was hard to concentrate on anything during a burst other than the incredible pain. "Does that mean something I should understand?"

"Wish we had Solas here," the Iron Bull muttered. "I'd get some answers from him if I had to turn him upside down and shake him."

Dorian flashed his former lover a look before returning his focus to Antonia's hand. "I'll look into this more when we're back at the Winter Palace; Celene has a fairly extensive library. Surely there will be something there. Tell us if it gets any worse."

The Iron Bull snorted. "She's not going to tell us a damned thing, you know that."

Sera looked anxiously over Antonia's shoulder, then into her face, her eyes wide and worried. "You need to ... to not get worse. Please?"

Antonia smiled, clenching her fist, wishing the Anchor would just go away. "I'll do my best," she told Sera.

They made their way further through the Crossroads, the twists and turns making Antonia's head hurt. It seemed to take forever to bring the Qunari to bay. By the time they caught them, in a large sunlit room that seemed filled with giant horned men, she was exhausted.

The Viddasala stood high above her on a platform of stone. "So, Inquisitor. We meet at last."

"What do you want?" Antonia snapped.

"Your duty is done. It is time to end your magic."

"Magic? I have no magic."

The Viddasala laughed derisively, her eyes on the Anchor. "Of course you do."

"It isn't too late to put our weapons down and talk."

"You think not? The Inquisition had its chance to ally with the Qunari, but instead it chose to ally itself with Fen'Harel. It is far too late for talk."

"Fen'Harel? I don't know what you mean."

"Don't insult my intelligence," the Viddasala snapped. "And there is no need to pretend that you are blind to what you have begun. This chaos in the south defies comprehension!"

"The Inquisition didn't cause that chaos!" Antonia shouted. "We're trying to fix it."

"It is too late to fix it! The Qun has left you people to curb your own magic, but you have amply proven that that was a mistake. We should have stepped in long ago."

Behind Antonia, the Iron Bull's voice was very soft. "Fuck."

"Is that what this Dragon's Breath is for?" Antonia asked. "Murdering our heads of state to control our mages? That's not a very good plan."

"Neither was assuming that closing the Breach solved everything." The Viddasala crossed her arms. "The day we saw the Breach, the Qun decided its action: We would remove your leaders and spare those who toil."

The Iron Bull said again, "Fuck."

"Did you know about this?" Dorian asked, so softly Antonia could barely hear him.

"No, but it's what I was afraid of."

The Viddasala went on as if she hadn't heard them, her voice rising in anger, "This agent of Fen'Harel has disrupted everything! Lives that were to be spared, lost to him!"

Who in Thedas was this agent? Antonia wondered. Perhaps they ought to have him on the payroll. Or at least find him so they could bring him in and talk to him. "Who is he?" she asked the Viddasala. "What makes you think he works for the Inquisition?"

The Viddasala ignored her completely, looking at the Qunari waiting so patiently, with such discipline. "Kill the Inquisitor, then follow me to the Darvaarad." She disappeared through the eluvian.

"Oh, shit." The Iron Bull had his sword up just in time, as several Qunari rushed him at once. Others attacked Dorian and Antonia, although they all seemed to ignore Sera completely. Or so it seemed to Antonia in the brief glimpses she had of the elf. Almost all of her focus was taken up by the three Qunari warriors who were surrounding her, and on trying to strike at them without getting injured. There was some advantage that they all used large two-handed weapons as well, so they weren't able to get in close and keep her blade from being useful, but it was still hard work. Sweat rolled down her face and got into her eyes.

She lost all track of time or tactics; everything became keeping the other three swords off her and trying to get a strike in where she could.

At last one of them fell, an arrow shaft embedded in his spine, but another one got a strike in during the moment Antonia took watching the first. Blood ran freely from a wound in her upper arm, her blade nearly falling from her hands, suddenly uncomfortably heavy. Antonia looked up at the giant figure in front of her. She couldn't fight him any longer; he was going to win. She was going to lose.

A tear slipped down her cheek, and she thought despairingly of Cullen, of Vel, of the baby inside her, the baby she wasn't strong enough to protect.

And then the Qunari choked on his own blood, on the sword sticking out of his throat. The sword was withdrawn and the Qunari fell and a different Qunari figure, this one familiar and loved, stood there looking at her with a wild concern in his eye. "Boss! Boss!"

His voice seemed to come from very far away, and then it was gone as Antonia fell into darkness.