Warriors Such As: Chapter 2 (Hawkquisition)

Hawkquisition Part 4: Warriors Such As
Chapter 2
Wherein an expert is required

They stood gathered around the War Table, waiting, watching as Hawke entered, balancing Malcolm on her hip, with Fenris following a step behind. Thayer Trevelyan grinned and nodded to them. Beside him, Josephine smiiled and waggled her fingers at the baby. Commander Cullen looked up briefly from the map spread out on the table, on which the elven woman beside him was in the middle of pointing something out.

“Ah, here you are!” Thayer waved them over to the table. “Just in time. Something’s come up, and we could use your input, Fenris.”

“Mine?” he cast a skeptical eye at the map.

“Charter,” Thayer nodded to the elven woman. “Go over it again, will you?”

Nodding, the elf called Charter gestured again to the map. “The Venatori are up to something in Seheron.”

“Seheron?” Fenris frowned. “I’m told I was born there, but…”

“Were you?” Thayer rested a finger on his chin. “I don’t suppose...no, probably no connection.”

“Yet I presume there is some connection to me, or you would not have sent for me,” Fenris said.

Charter nodded, her eyes flicking between him and the map. “We’ve been in contact with a magister in Tevinter.” Fenris stiffened; Hawke’s free hand reached out to brush his fingertips. Charter, nodding as if she had expected his reaction, explained, “She’s a friend of the Inquisition, someone who’s stood against the Venatori in the Magisterium. It was Master Pavus that put us in touch with her, back when Corypheus was alive. She’s...what my department would call a reliable source.”

“You’ve dealt with plenty of pockets of Venatori resistance since the Inquisitor put an end to Corypheus,” Hawke pointed out. “What’s special about this one?”

“This group,” Charter said, “they’ve apparently been...experimenting. On elves, mostly, and there are unconfirmed reports of a few Qunari subjects. Magister Tilani has an agent in Seheron who sent her this description.” She bent her head to read from a well-creased bit of parchment. “‘I have seen many a man taken by the red corruption, Mae. This is different. They seem to have applied the red lyrium to the skin in patterns, all over the prisoners’ bodies, from fingertip to toetip as if to mimic the very skeletal structure itself. Nor is the red lyrium growing to overtake these people as we’ve seen it do with those who have simply ingested it; it seems, for now, to remain confined to these elaborate tattoos…’”

Fenris’ fists had slowly clenched as Charter read, but it was Hawke who finally gasped as all eyes turned to her husband. “Lyrium tattoos?” she squeaked, taking a firmer grasp of Fenris’ hand, slowly prying his fist open to twine her fingers with his. “But...red lyrium? Oh, Maker.”

“Maker, indeed,” said Cullen. “We’ve seen what red lyrium can do to people, but we’ve also seen what...skills those markings give you, Fenris. The implications, if the Venatori have managed to combine the two…” he shuddered, shook his head, dropped his gaze to Seheron again.

“Odds are,” said Thayer, “they’re planning something big. One of those branches of the cult that doesn’t believe Corypheus is truly dead, and just won’t give up.”

“After all the times they may have seen him returned to life, who could blame them?” Josephine asked.

Thayer shrugged. “Well, it sounds like they’re trying to create an army of elite warriors to bring him back. Or bring Tevinter back? Or maybe they’ve found a new Old God. You never know with Venatori.”

“Test subjects,” Fenris finally spoke. “These elves...Qunari. They suffer this ritual, and all for an experiment?”

Charter winced. “Presumably the Venatori mean to apply the markings to their own agents once they are sure of the process.”

“This is wrong,” Fenris growled.

“And extraordinarily bad news for us if they keep it up,” said Thayer gently. “Both of which are extremely good reasons why we must put a stop to it.”

“We can send troops to Seheron,” said Cullen, “but they won’t know what they’re up against. Few of us have trained against you, Fenris, and even so, you rarely use your markings in training.”

Fenris barked a bitter laugh. “Few of you would survive the training if I did.”

“Just so,” Cullen nodded. “We could ask you to brief the soldiers on what to expect. Tell them how the markings work, what the marked Venatori could do to them…”

“Assuming their skills are the same as Fenris’,” said Hawke.

“That is the best assumption we can make at the moment,” said Josephine. “At least, it is a starting point.”

“We need a closer look at these experiments,” Thayer decided. “We’ll send troops, yes, but we need a scouting team to learn more. I want to see these Venatori for myself. And Fenris, I’d like you to be a part of that team.”

“I…” Fenris caught Hawke’s eyes only briefly before he twisted away, stepping forward to trace a finger over the map of Seheron. His chin dropped, his eyes squeezed shut, and he finally answered, “I will go.”

“What?” Hawke burst out. “Then I’m going too.” Every eye turned to her -- except for Fenris, who simply sighed and remained bent over the War Table. Hawke returned the stares, meeting each gaze until one by one, the council shifted their eyes -- to Malcolm.

“Hawke,” Thayer began, “perhaps it’s not --”

“We stay together,” Hawke insisted.

“But you have a child to --” Josephine began.

“I -- yes, but -- Fenris and I…” Hawke trailed off, her throat seizing up as tears welled in her eyes.

“Inquisitor,” Fenris said, staring at the table, “may I have a moment to discuss this with Hawke? In private.”

Thayer cleared his throat. “Take all the time you need.”