Chapter Text

“A mage!” the human cried with joy. “You’re not with the bandits? You wouldn’t have any lyrium would you? We’re all exhausted, we’ve been fighting that demon…”

“You summoned that demon,” Solas interrupted. “Except it was a spirit of wisdom at the time. You forced it to kill. You twisted it against its purpose!”

The human mage looked out of sorts, flustered. Fen’Falon didn’t think the human had expected a pair of elven mages to attack him for this.

“I - I - I understand how it might be confusing to someone who has not studied demons,” the human stuttered, condescension lacing his tone. Fen’Falon’s hands made fists at her sides to keep from attacking the mage - this was Solas’s friend, and Solas’s fight. “But after you help us, I can--”

Solas tugged his hand wraps tighter. “We are not here to help you,” he spat. Fen’Falon decided she would give this idiot mage a chance to run off before she and Solas ended him.

“Here’s a quick bit of friendly advice, shem. My friend has more knowledge in his little finger than you’ve collected in your pathetic life, so I’d hold off on attempting to explain how demons work to him.”

The human made a negating gesture. “Listen! I was one of the foremost experts on demons in the Kirkwall Circle--”

“Shut. Up.” Solas sounded angry - really angry. Fen’Falon had not realised his stoic face hid such depths of emotion. “You summoned it to protect you from the bandits.”

“I -- well, yes,” the human said. He seemed confused about where this conversation would inevitably end.

“You bound it to obedience, and then commanded it to kill. That is when it changed.”

Solas turned to face Fen’Falon, agitated and gesturing more than usual. “The summoning circle,” he said. “We break it, we can break the binding. No orders to kill, no conflict with its nature, no demon.”

Fen’Falon could see the sense in that, and given Solas’s extensive experience with the Fade, she was willing to trust him that his plan would work. The human mage spoke again.

“What?!” the human cried. “The binding is the only thing keeping it from killing all of us! Whatever it was before, it is a monster now!”

Solas looked at Fen’Falon. “Inquisitor, please.”

“Of course, Solas. I should be able to destroy the binding quickly and save your friend.”

“Thank you,” Solas said. A great roar split the air and the human mage ran the way the group had come. “We must hurry!”

“Then we’ll hurry!” Fen’Falon replied. She ran for the nearest stone pillar and began throwing any and all magic at it. Solas helped her, and Blackwall and Cole distracted the pride demon to keep it from attacking the mages. Between the two elves, they made short work of the binding stones and soon the demon was freed.

A great flash of fade-light covered the pride demon and when it cleared there was only a vaguely human-shaped spirit in its place. The spirit had taken the form of a human circle mage, if the clothing was anything to go by, its hair and skin the colour of soot. The spirit fell to the ground, landing such that it was sitting on its knees, a look of extreme sadness on its face. Solas approached and crouched down so he was at eye level. Fen’Falon stood nearby, but far enough that she felt they had some privacy.

“Ir abelas,” Solas said.

The spirit looked up at him, its eyes glowing green. “I’m not,” it said in the ancient elven language. Fen’Falon strained to translate the words she didn’t know, trying to make sense of their conversation.

“I’m happy,” the spirit continued. “I’m me again. You helped me. Now you must endure. Guide me into death.”

Solas turned his head and closed his eyes in pain. “Ma nuvenin,” Solas said to it. Fen’Falon watched as he gathered energy and moved his hands in an unfamiliar pattern. The spirit began to smoke, then gradually faded into nothingness.

“Dareth shiral,” Solas said when it was gone.

Fen’Falon came up to him and placed a hand on Solas’s shoulder. “It was right, you know. I heard what it said - you did help it.”

“Now...I must endure,” Solas repeated the spirit’s words.

“Please, if there’s anything I can do to help,” Fen’Falon said. Solas stood and turned to look at her. He looked so sad, so pained by what had just happened.

“You already have,” Solas said. He inclined his head at Fen’Falon, a gesture of unspoken thanks. A sound from upriver drew both their attentions. “Now all that remains is them.”

The mages who had done this approached them, including the one from earlier. The idiot human was going to try and speak with Solas even after all that the human had caused? Fen’Falon did not envy these mages in the slightest.

“Thank you,” the human said. “We would not normally have risked a summoning, but the roads are too dangerous to travel unprotected.”

At the humans words a look of fury transformed Solas’s face. He unslung his staff and advanced on the shemlen mages, who backed away from him in deservéd fear.

“You tortured and killed my friend,” Solas said. Venom laced every word he spoke, and Fen’Falon found herself wishing that she would never see him angry again.

“We didn’t know!” the dumb shem retorted. “The book said it could help us!” All three of the human mages had backed themselves against an uphill, and one stumbled to the ground as it rose unexpectedly underneath him. Fen’Falon made no move to help them. A fireball brighter and hotter than she had ever seen a mage cast enveloped the three humans, incinerating them before they could even scream. Solas had that kind of power - and kept it hidden? Why? Fen’Falon found herself wondering just who Solas was, what his history was, and why he was holding back even when they fought powerful enemies. With that kind of power, she thought he could give even Corypheus a run for his money. Something was strange here; Solas was hiding something big.

“Damn them all,” Solas said as he stood among the remains. “I need some time alone. I will meet you back at Skyhold.”

Solas walked away and didn’t look back, leaving Fen’Falon, Blackwall, and Cole to find their way back to the Inquisition camp for horses.

“Not. One. Word.” Fen’Falon turned to Blackwall.

“Pain on his face makes pain inside. A kiss might ease the pain, but she’s unsure if that’s what he wants. So many questions, and the one she wants answered most can’t be asked,” said Cole. Fen’Falon realised he was reading her somehow.

“Cole, please stop.”

“But I want to help.”

“I know, kiddo, but I’d like my thoughts to stay in my head, okay?”

“Would it be rude of me to ask what that was about?” Blackwall asked.

“Yes,” Fen’Falon said shortly. “Private thoughts are meant to stay private.”

Blackwall looked like he was about to speak again and Fen’Falon shushed him with a gesture and a “bzt” sound.

“Let’s just get back to the camp and head back to Skyhold. We can come back with others to help with the undead problem here, but with only three of us I don’t want to risk it.”