Of Wolves and Arrows

The Forward Camp

(Note from Fen: After a few more chapters, this book will turn into more of a one shot collection. Unless you leave in the comments about wanting me to continue down this path of accuracy.)

Ritsuko follows Cassandra. It's not necessarily hard fighting the Demons, but time consuming. Rits can see how they have lost lots of soldiers. The Demons don't seem to stop coming. Exhaustion would take it's toll on everyone.
They continue in mostly silence for another 5 minutes, following the path.
"We are almost there," Cassandra stops at the bottom of a twisting set of steps carved into the hillside. "You can hear the fighting."
"Who's fighting?"
"You'll see soon," Cassandra starts up the stairs two at a time, "We have to help them."
Ritsuko nods and races after her. She's slower up the stairs and watches as Cassandra charges ahead and out of view.
Three steps behind her, Ritsuko arrives at the top of the hill. Ahead of her lies the ruins of a builiding. Opposite walls standing, creating a bottleneck. Cassandra disappears into the fray. A blast of pale blue magic surges on one side. An arrow strays from it's target.
Ritsuko looses an arrow into a Demon's back, it screaches and fades into ash. She scrambles through the snow to get to the wall. Climbing on top of it, she can see the battlefield. A Dwarf with a cross bow and an Elven Mage. Between them, a green mass of magic that looks like a smaller version of the one in the sky. She looses another arrow, taking a Demon out as it forms into their world.
She readies another arrow and is about to loose it when something closes around her ankle. Ritsuko frantically kicks, trying to free herself from the Demon's grasp. She yelps and collides with the ground. The arrow flies straight into the air.
Ritsuko closes her hand around her dagger and blindly lashes out at the Demon. A crossbow bolt rips through the Demon, which dissolves into ash and rains down on the Elf.
She lays her head back on the snow, staring up at the gray sky. Falling was her new normal.
Cassandra pulls her back to her feet, looking over her.  "You're alright?"
"Getting accustomed with the ground."
The Elf suddenly grabs her arm, pulling her towards the rift, "Quickly, before more come through!"
The magic on her hand connects with the rift in a brilliant green streak. It doesn't hurt this time. The rift glows brightly for a moment before collapsing in on itself.
"What did you do?" Ritsuko looks at her hand and then to the bald Elf.
"I did nothing," he says, "The credit is yours."
"I closed that thing? How?"
"Whatever magic opened the breach in the sky also put that mark on your hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the breaches wake. And it seems I was correct."
"Meaning it could also close the breach itself." Cassandra says.
"Possibly." The Elf studies Ritsuko carefully, "It seems you hold the key to our salvation."
"Good to know," the Dwarf finally speaks, "Here I thought we'd be ass deep in Demons forever. Varric Tethras. Rogue, storyteller, and- occasionally- unwelcome tagalong."
Cassandra glares at him.
Ritsuko stands awkwardly for a few seconds, "That's... a nice crossbow you have there."
"Ahh, isn't she?" Varric gazes fondly back at the crossbow, "Bianca and I have been through a lot together."
"You named your crossbow Bianca?"
"Of course, and she'll be great company in the valley." Varric starts walking.
"Absolutely not," Cassandra snaps, "Your help is appreciated Varric but--"
"Have you been in the valley recently Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me."
Cassandra groans and retreats from the fight.
"My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions," the Elf says, moving closer to Ritsuko. "I'm pleased to see you still live."
"He means, 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept," Varric chimes in.
"You seem to know a great deal about it all. I'm Ritsuko Lavellan."
"Solas is an Apostate," Cassandra explains.
"Technically all Mages are Apostates now Cassandra. My travels have allowed me to learn much of the Fade. Far beyond the experiance of any Circle Mage. I came to offer whatever help I can give with the breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed regardless of origin."
"Commendable." Ritsuko nods. The Elf was right. If the breach really did swallow the sky, no one was safe.
"Merely sensible. Although sense seems to be in short supply right now." Solas turns back to Cassandra, "Cassandra, you should know, the magic involved here is unlike any I've ever seen. Ritsuko is no Mage, but I find it difficult to believe any Mage having such power."
"Understood. We must get to the forward camp quickly." Cassandra moves past them all.
"Well," Varric pauses beside the Elves, "Bianca's excited."
Ritsuko glances over Solas again. Despite the air of confidence, there's something about him that she likes. Maybe it was the familiarity of another Elf. Not that she didn't like Varric. He was funny and seemed clever. 
"You coming Rits?" Varric calls back to her. "We need you to close the hole in the sky."
Rits hums and follows behind them.
"You're injured." Solas note Ritsuko's arm, "Please, allow me." He takes her arm and passes a hand over it. Pale green magic passes over her arm, the scratches heal from the inside, shrinking and leaving pale pink marks. "I'm afraid it will scar."
"That's okay," Ritsuko runs her hand over her arm. "A few scars never hurt anyone."
The journey to the forward camp is just as laced with Demons as their journey so far. Solas and Varric are a welcome addition to the silence that was Ritsuko and Cassandra.
Ritsuko is not surprised to see another rift in front of the Forward Camp's gates. She wedges an arrow into a Demon and races for the rift, ready to seal it. The magic races between them and the rift closes.
"Open the gate, the rift is gone." Cassandra demands.
"Right away Lady Cassandra." Someone answers.
A man in red and white Chantry robes straigtens as they approach, "Ahh, here they come."
The woman from the dungeon, Leliana, glances at him before walking towards Cassandra, "You made it. Chancellor Roderick, this is-"
"I know who she is," he snarls, "As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royaeux to face execution."
"Order me?" Cassandra turns on  him, "You are a glorified clerk. A Beaurucrat."
"And you are a thug, but a thug that supposedly serves the Chantry."
"We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor." Leliana states, trying to keep the edge from her voice. "As you all know."
"Justinia is dead!" Chancellor Roderick raises his voice, drawing attention from others around. "We must elect her replacement and follow her orders on the matter."
"Isn't closing the breach the more pressing issue?" Ritsuko asks, feeling small in the midst of the arguement.
"You brought this on us in the first place!" Roderick's attention finally falls to RItsuko. Cassandra steps between them, "Call a retreat Seeker. Our position here is hopeless."
"We can stop this before it's too late."
"How?" He sighs, "You won't survive long enough to reach the temple. Even with all your soldiers."
"We must get to the temple. It's the quickest route." Cassandra says.
Ritsuko looks at the ground, clearly this was not her place. She was here simply to close the rift. Not offer opinions.
"But not the safest." Leliana chimes back in. "Our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains."
Ritsuko looks up at the mountains, looming and covered in snow, blanketed thick with fog even as close as they were.
"We lost contact with an entire squad on that path." Cassandra argues, "It's too risky."
"Listen to me," Roderick's tone is suddenly pleading with them. "Abandon this now before more lives are lost."
The rift explodes again, raining down more green and black pieces of whatever is on the other side. The mark on Ritsuko's hand burns again, glowing more brightly. After all the pain it's caused, she is surprised that it no longer puts her on the ground.
She's still watching it when Cassandra asks, "How do you think we should proceed?"