Of Wolves and Arrows

Prisoner

Dark. Damp. Ritsuko wakes up on the floor. Flashes of green light. Spiders. A woman reaching out.
A wave of nausea washes over her and she rolls to her stomach.
"She's awake." A voice says, "Get the Seeker."
"Where am I?" Ritsuko's eyes adjust to the poor lighting. A dungeon. The walls are rough stone, dripping with water.
"Haven," the first voice answers, "But I shouldn't answer any more questions."
A searing pain rushes through the palm of her left hand. Like being both stabbed and burned in unison. She studies her hand when the pain subsides. Green magic glows there.
"What is this?" She holds her hand up, showing the mark to the guard.
He flinches away from her.  Good idea.
A woman with short black hair enters the room, followed by another female with her hood up.
"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now?" the dark haired woman pauses beside Ritsuko. "The Conclave is destroyed, everyone who attended is dead. Except you."
"What do you mean everyone's dead?" Ritsuko asks. She couldn't recall anyone's specific face, but she could remember how many people were there. Dozens.
The dark haired woman grabs Ritsuko's hand, "Explain this."
They had noticed the glowing hand too. Good. "I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?"
"I don't know what that is." Ritsuko responds, "Or how it got there."
"You're lying." The dark haired woman grabs Ritsuko's shoulders.
The woman in the hood gently pulls her away, "We need her, Cassandra."
Ritsuko stares at the ground between them, "All those people. Dead."
"Do you remember what happened? How this began?" The woman in the hood asks. She's less abrasive than her dark haired counterpart.
"I remember..." Ritsuko thinks for a moment, "Running. Things were chasing me. And then a woman?"
"A woman?" the hooded female turns to Cassandra.
"She reached out to me, but then," Ritsuko's hand burns with the memory.
"Go to the forward camp, Leliana," Cassandra says, "I will take her to the rift."
Cassandra returns to unfasten the handcuffs, freeing Ritsuko. Her first instinct, despite being smaller than Cassandra, is to tackle her and steal her weapon. But how many armed guards were waiting on the other side of the door for her?
"What did happen?" Rits rubs her wrists, the metal had left a red mark around both of them.
"It will be easier to show you," Cassandra motions her along.
Outside, the sky is gray, a crowd of people, living in tents and dirt. Cassandra stops and points to the sky. Into the dark clouds, a brilliant green spiraling vortex. "We call it the breach." Cassandra says, "It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It's not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave."
"An explosion can do that?"
"This one did." Cassandra says, "Unless we act, the breach could grow until it swallows the world."
Green lightning shoots from the breach, vanishing into the clouds around it. The searing pain returns to her hand, Ritsuko yelps and sinks to the ground.
Cassandra follows her down, "Each time the breach expands, your mark spreads and it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn't much time."
Ritsuko drags her eyes back up to Cassandra. "The key? To what?"
"Closing the breach. Whether that's possible is something we shall discover shortly. It is our only chance however. And yours."
Ritsuko looks down at her hand, glowing and numb with pain. "You still think I did this. To myself?"
"Not intentionally." Cassandra continues, "Something clearly went wrong."
"And if I'm not responsible?" Ritsuko shoots back.
"Someone is. And you are our only suspect. You wish to prove your innocence, this is the only way."
Great. Ritsuko had two options, stay and be found guilty of something she didn't do, face execution or follow Cassandra and possibly die. Certain death or just highly likely death. Good options."I understand."
"Then..."
"I'll do what I can." Ritsuko says, "Whatever it takes."
Cassandra pulls Ritsuko to her feet. They walk down the path between tents and small houses. Haven was probably the perfect peaceful town at some point. No longer. The citizens and soldiers that have gathered here all watch as Cassandra and Rits walk past. They had already decided her guilt. They must think Cassandra was crazy.
Rits can't say she blames these people though, the Divine, Divine Justinia, had called the Mages and Templars together in an attempt at peace.
Cassandra doesn't speak again until they are well outside the gates of Haven. "Why were you at the Conclave?"
Ritsuko hesitates to answer. "I was sent by our Keeper. Peace affects everyone and we wanted to know what the outcome was."
"You must have been important to your clan to go."
Rits shakes her head, "Not particularly. I'm a hunter. I provide food and protection."
"I'm sure they miss you, don't you miss them?"
"I haven't had time too." Ritsuko wants to stop talking now. They were getting nowhere. And Cassandra couldn't just pretend to care about her.
"How did I survive?" Ritsuko changes the subject.
"They say you walked out of a rift and then fell unconscious. They also say there was a woman in the rift behind you, but no one knows who she was."
Ahead of them lies a stone bridge. Ritsuko ventures to the edge to look down. The pond below is covered in a thick sheet of ice. It would support her if she jumped on it and she doubted Cassandra would follow her over the edge. The pain shoots through her hand again, almost dropping her to the ground. She grips the bridge railing to keep upright.
"The pulses are coming faster," Cassandra says, worry laced into her voice. "We should hurry."
Ritsuko nods and releases the railing to follow Cassandra.
Someone shouts and a greenish ball crashes into the bridge ahead of them. The bridge gives way under the sudden impact. Ritsuko and Cassandra and a few soldiers tumble into the hole. The bridges base softens Ritsuko's landing and she rolls to a stop.
Grunting in pain, she eases to her knees. Everything hurt, but she didn't think anything was broken.
"Demons." Cassandra is already on her feet, "Stay behind me."
Ritsuko eases up. A demon seemingly targets her. Moving dangerously close. Ritsuko searches for Cassandra or another soldier, backing away from the twisting form of the demon. It inches along the ground, leaving a thick black trail behind it.
Three more steps and Ritsuko collides with the ice again. Tripping and falling backwards over a box. She swears and looks around. She had fallen directly into the crate of weapons. A supply stash for the soldiers. Her hand closes around the unstrung bow.
"Perfect." She scrambles up, throwing things aside in her search for arrows and bowstring.
The demon reaches her before she has the bow strung. She dives out of the way as the demons claws tear into the box.
"Can you give me a minute please?" Ritsuko finally strings the bow and nocks an arrow. She doesn't have time to fire as the Demon sets upon her again. His claws tear into her clothes scratching her arm. She looses the arrow and stumbles backwards. The Demon screeches and shies away from her. The second arrow hits beside the first and the Demon dissolves into the ground. Leaving the arrows behind. Ritsuko picks them up and finds herself staring At Cassandra's blade "Drop your weapon. Now."
"If you're going to lead me through a Demon infested valley, you'll have to trust me."
"Give me one reason to trust you."
"Because my life is on the line." Ritsuko's grip on the bow tightens. She's not ready to relinquish it and is prepared for Cassandra to take to bow by force.
Cassandra sighs heavily. "You're right. I can't expect to protect you. Nor can I expect you to be defenseless."
Ritsuko relaxes slightly. Cassandra was letting her keep the bow.
"I should remember you agreed to come willingly." Cassandra stops a few paces ahead and looks back at Ritsuko.
Ritsuko nods and looks back down at her hand. The glowing mark and all of her questions racing though her mind.