By Blood & Lyrium {Dragon Age: Inquisition}

Chapter Six: To Wreak Havoc Upon All

Dorian crouched among the bushes along the bottom of a hill next to Krem and The Iron Bull. The other Chargers hid scattered around the edges of the ambush point. The second band of Venatori was proving to be more intelligent than the first, having placed their camp southeast of Hafter's Wood, atop a knoll that gave them a strategic upper hand. The challenge had raised The Iron Bull's spirits after the ease of the first skirmish. He had paced in tight circles as they threw about ideas and strategies, gesturing broadly as he added to each one, clarifying points and posing alterations until they had decided on a plan.

The strategy was lacking in Dorian's eyes, but he hadn't said anything. Better to hold his tongue than challenge The Iron Bull's authority. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, fingers fiddling with the grip of his staff. Keeping silent was agonizing. Too much was being left to chance. What if he was right? What if their luck turned, brought down by hubris of their easy success the first time? If he didn't mention it, would anyone? "Are we sure they're going to be alright? If anything goes wrong..."

The Iron Bull gave a low grumble and turned to him, "For the last time, my boys aren't equipped to ambush a band of mad Vint mages who have the high ground. This is something we've done routinely. So quit fidgeting and trust us. Your pretty elf will be fine."

Dorian choked out a couple of broken syllables, half-cohesive fragments of embarrassment and denial. He fell silent when he couldn't collect himself enough for a proper response. He wished he knew how to clarify exactly what he was so worried about.

Elian had volunteered for the job, much to Dorian's surprise. Not that Elian didn't enjoy fighting. As far as Dorian could tell, he perhaps enjoyed it too much. Dorian remembered catching a wild glint in his green eyes as he cut down the last zealot, a mad smile on his blood-splattered face, before he seemed to catch himself. It had been strange to watch Elian school his features into a calmer, more familiar expression. Perhaps he should have stopped him from going uphill. It hadn't seemed his place at the time.

The only small comfort Dorian had was that Elian wasn't luring the Venatori on his own. Joining him was Dalish, the most fleet-footed of the Chargers. Her uncanny speed only added to Dorian's suspicions of Dalish's full capabilities. She swore she was an archer. Elian swore she was an archer. Elves were better at archery, right? After all, he'd seen Sera fight. Her bow seemed a little unwieldy for its purpose, but Dorian didn't know all that much about archery and it did appear to be a bow. The Fade was a bit odd around her, but it always seemed so around all of the elves Dorian had seen.

Perhaps it wasn't her strange archery that had him uncertain. Elian and Dalish had bonded very quickly over the past week. The two were already closer than Dorian and Elian. Closer, he feared, than they would ever get. They sat by the campfire at night and talked animatedly with each other, sharing sly smiles and strange phrases that evaded Dorian's understanding. It left a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach, one more familiar than he cared to admit. For the first time in years, his mind wandered back to Rilienus: to brown eyes that turned gold in the setting sun, skin tanned a rich amber, and a laugh that made Dorian feel invincible. He also thought of the shame he felt when Rilienus pushed him away, his full lips twisted in disgust, more bitter than the wine on his tongue. It was a thought that he had to shove down every time he saw Elian and Dalish banter.

Unfortunately, his doubts didn't matter to The Iron Bull, who clearly had faith in the two of them to lure the Venatori down to the ambush site. That should have been enough for Dorian. The Chargers loved telling tales and he had heard enough to have faith in Dalish's capabilities, yet still he was concerned for what might go wrong. Would The Iron Bull even know if something happened?

Krem nudged his elbow and leaned in. "We've been doing this a long time, Pavus." Krem offered Dorian a reassuring smile. "They're just luring the bastards down. Venatori are pretty predictable. I've known Dalish for years and I saw how Elian fights. If anything went wrong, they'll be the ones who can get out of it safely."