In Search of a Wolf - The Elves of Fen'Harel Book 1 (Dragon Age)

The Deep Roads

Lavellan had vanished back through the Crossroads and into the Winter Palace. The Inquisitor had clearly been unsettled by what they had found, though Laisa noticed she seemed far more comfortable in a crisis than she had in her formal wear. "You can take the girl out of the Dalish..." She murmured, smiling.

"Are we trapped on this side then?" Nanin asked her, smirking. "After all, they'll have guards on the Eluvian now. We're stuck."

"We've plenty of agents on the other side though." Harith pointed out. "They'll keep a close watch on things."

"Also that's not the only eluvian into the Winter Palace." A calm, measured voice said from behind them. "I do plan ahead, you know."

"Solas!" Laisa smiled at the sight of him in his wolf pelt and armor. He had removed his mask. "You've been busy."

"So have you, da'vhenan." He pointed out. "You've all accomplished much."

"What's going on with the Inquisitor's mark?" Harith cut in. "She seemed to be...in pain."

"She's dying." Solas said. Sadness clouded his features. "The mark...my mark, it wasn't intended for ordinary people. The power should have killed her immediately but by some miracle, and my timely intervention, Ellana lived. But I knew, even then, she couldn't contain that power forever."

"The mark is rejecting her." Laisa felt strangely sad. She admired Lavellan.

"If I can, I'd like to save her." Solas sighed. "For now, they have the eluvian in the Winter Palace under guard."

"They'll be arguing amongst themselves, arguing over what to do and how to deal with the council." Arana pointed out, "That gives us time to move. So what's the next step?"

"The Qunari have an operation in the Deep Roads that must be stopped." Solas told them, "We must open up the paths for the Inquisitor, and ensure that she destroys what is there. Arana, Harith, I'd like the two of you to go through and warn our people that the Qunari may be making a move imminently, with their plans disrupted. Laisa, Nanin, with me."

"You'd better keep them alive." Arana warned Solas, frowning. "Those are the people I love more than anyone in the world. Whether you're a god or an all-powerful mage or whatever, Laisa and Nanin are my family and I will hunt you down if you let something happen to them."

They all gazed at her in surprise.

"I'll guard them with my life, lethallan." Solas replied, his eyes serious. "I care about them too."

Laisa, Nanin and Solas stood and watched their friends vanish through yet another eluvian and back to the relative safety of the Winter Palace. "So you can just open paths?" Nanin asked, "That's handy."

Solas smiled, his eyes glowing as he raised his hands. From seemingly nowhere a staircase rose, firming into place, revealing a path across to the next eluvian. There was something infinitely elegant and simple about the use of magic. "This leads into the Deep Roads, to where the Qunari are currently working. The path I've raised will allow the Inquisitor to follow down."

"Follow?" Nanin said, a little nervously.

"Yes." Solas said, distracted, striding down towards the mirror.

"Guess we're going in then." Nanin shrugged. "Is this a bad time to say I get claustrophobic?"

It was dark and far too vast for somewhere underground. The walls were carved, and a pale blue light washed over them from distant lyrium crystals. She had never understood dwarves could live like this. They walked down into what reminded her of Varric's descriptions of a thaig.