Breaking the Divide (remastered) - Cullen Rutherford

Chapter 26: Little Cakes

Kaitlyn squeezed the inside of Cullen's elbow, sparing him a grateful smile as he continued at her side. She was going to get him a mabari after this. No. She was going to make a special Inquisition kennel overflowing with mabari after this.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, cheeks still pink.

"So do you," she whispered back. "Do you know how long have before we're supposed to enter?"

"Seconds. Gaspard was announced right when you stepped inside. There's only one or two nobles left before it's our turn. Are you ready?"

"Ready enough." She squeezed his arm again, taking comfort in his presence while also dreading the fact that they would be separated again soon. "Your mask—let me put it on for you."

"No." He slipped away from her when she reached for the mabari mask Leliana had handed to him. "You can't be the one to do it."

"I—right. You're right." She let her hands fall to her side, her dislike of this place increasing another degree.

Leliana affixed Cullen's mask before putting on her own with a practiced ease. She held out Kaitlyn's mask and said, "Remember, don't—"

"Wear it," Kaitlyn finished. "Yes, Josephine already reminded me. Thank you, Leliana." Taking the golden owl, she sighed and kept to the back of the group while the others stepped forward to be announced. She stared down at the delicate mask. When she was little, she'd always wanted to wear one to a ball just like this. Would they let her keep it when this was over?

Asalla retreated to Kaitlyn's right. "The Orlesians certainly don't hold back, do they?"

"Those statues are mostly tin." Mai came up on Kaitlyn's left. "Fenris scratched one to test it—barely a single layer of gold leaf. I'd bet you anything that most of the things in here are fake."

"Or gifts," Asalla said. "I've had to give away a few treasures to appease people of power."

"True," Mai said.

Kaitlyn smiled at the pair of them, glad to have them there. Her smile widened when the announcer's voice cracked and a different servant rushed forward to replace him. He'd barely gotten through the Wardens—save for Asalla—and his replacement was already eyeing the Inquisition members with something close to despair in his eyes. It was their own fault. If the Orlesians were going to pat themselves on the back every time they went to a party, competing to see who had the most titles in their name—she would see them all crushed.

"You know what would be fun?" Asalla asked once the announcer had finished saying Cassandra's full name. "I could use Flying Swarm while Mai brings down a Firestorm. Think about it—instead of a thousand stinging insects, I could be a thousand stinging insects on fire."

"Wouldn't that hurt you more than them?" Kaitlyn asked.

"That's where you come in," Asalla said. "Your healing magic would let me maintain the form longer."

Mai frowned. "And how would this help us catch our suspect?"

"It wouldn't," Asalla said. Her face, which had been soft and smiling moments before, hardened to a scowl that could topple kingdoms. "But at this point, I don't particularly care about the future of Orlais."

"Then how about the rest of Thedas?" Mai asked, glancing to Alistair who, unlike the rest of the Wardens, was not showing muted deference to the empress, but was staring back at Asalla, waiting patiently until she could join him.

"I've already saved Thedas once—it's not nearly as exciting or heroic as everyone makes it out to be." She gave them a weak, bitter smile and Kaitlyn saw the marks that Alistair had traced with his fingers so many times by the firelight.