Chapter 37: Here Lies The Abyss Pt.4

When half the bloody fortress fell into the abyss along with the Inquisitor and her companions, Cullen had been elbows deep in demons, leading a company of men to the central yard of the fortress.

Word had reached him that the Grey Wardens were successful in tearing open the Veil in the hopes of summoning a nightmarish demon through. Followed quickly by the appearance of Corypheus' dragon, and having not heard from the Inquisitor yet, he decided that was all the information he needed on the current situation inside the fortress to take action. The battle in and around Adamant was beginning to die down, thanks to the correct assumption that many of the Wardens would surrender and his weeks of meticulous planning of the siege. All those nights pouring over old battle accounts and maps of the fortress paid off as he targeted the ancient wounds in the walls, exploiting their weaknesses. She fought like a battle-hardened Mabari, who was too stubborn to die, but in the end, modern siege equipment proved too strong against her brittle bones.

With their defenses down, it was up to his soldiers to do the rest. Holding an intact fortress, such as Adament was easy, but with the crumbling outer walls exposing them to multiple points of attack, the Inquisition forces quickly overwhelmed them. In one swift coordinated attack, his men pushed in backing the Wardens into the center of the fortress with nowhere to run. And at the center of it all was Evelyn facing down Clarel, Erimond, and the blighted dragon.

When one final charge was needed to get to the Inquisitor, he gathered together a contingent to lead himself. He was glad for it, for unlike the battle at Haven, he had been forced to stay back and coordinate the various elements of the siege this time. Itching to get a piece of the action, even though he hated fighting demons, he would never send men to do a job he wouldn't, and eagerly joined the fray. Progress was slower than he wished having to stop and hear reports from his officers, and by the time they finally reached the rift, a terrible earthquake stopped everyone in their tracks. Searching the courtyard, the Inquisitor and her companions were nowhere to be seen, but the flashes of magic now brightened the central tower. In his inspection of the ground, he saw deep hairline fractures in the stone that had been sealed by cooled magma. Two Pride demons lay slain in the yard, their innards spilled about making the place reek of spoiled meat. Other minor shades were strewn about flattened by various wounds, but the Warden mages were visably the worse off having lost the fight against their own blood magic.

"Inquisition, who is your commanding officer here?" One of the Grey Wardens who had been ordered to guard the rift by Stroud addressed them.

Standing tall and flipping up his visor, his soldiers parted for him to approach the man. "I am Commander Rutherford," the Warden straightened recognizing the name, exchanging gazes with the others, "which way did the Inquisitor go?"

Before he could answer, the menacing black wings of Corypheus' dragon flapped frantically caught in a huge electrical explosion. They couldn't see much from down in the courtyard beside the rift, but the chilling sound of stone cracking and falling was both felt and heard. Cullen looked to the ground below his feet to make sure the courtyard had not been compromised, but soon everything went eerily quiet.

Satisfied that they were in no danger, except for the large open rift, he began recalling from memory the schematics of the fortress and how to get up to where the dragon was when a familiar voice called down to him. "Commander!" Hanging over the crenellation was Henley, his deep voice carrying over the din, "Commander," he pointed towards the dragon, "the Inquisitor is down!"

"What do you mean?!"

"She fell, ser! The fucking dragon took everyone out!" His heart stopped, as did everything else around him as he tried to process what he had just been told. He absently ordered his lieutenant to hold this position in the courtyard with the Wardens as he headed up onto the ramparts. Only taking a few men with him, they wasted no time racing up past a number of tired and wounded Wardens.

By the time he reached the edge of the collapsed wall, he, Henley, and Owayne peered down into the darkness, afraid of what they'd see. "Maker," he panted having run the whole way up, but what he saw was nothing - no bodies, not even the blighted dragon. Her brother knelt just staring down into the darkness, having unceremoniously discarded his short blades to the side. Sheathing his sword and dropping his helmet in disbelief, he wiped a hand down his sweaty face. "Henley, report. Where is the Inquisitor?"

The man looked as if he was in partial shock, "From what I saw, Clarel ignited her mana in an attempt to save the others, but it caused the dragon to stumble breaking the ramparts where the Inquisitor and her companions were standing. We were over there," pointed back across to the ramparts behind them, "when the whole fucking thing collapsed, we couldn't get to them in time. When we did get here there was a rift, but it closed a minute later. We heard their voices shouting back and forth to each other, but when it closed it cut them off." Henley sighed wiping a slew of mixed blood from his cheek, "From what we heard, E opened a rift but they were still falling."

"She purposely opened a rift?" He tried to wrap his head around just what that could mean. "And they all fell into it?" The Knight-Captain nodded a bit unnerved. "So, that would mean they are in the Fade?" A cold terror suddenly seized him, "Maker's breath, they're in the Fade! They are physically in the Fade, not like Harrowing where it's just their consciousness!" His reaction startled Owayne who turned to watch him with a fear in his eyes he had never seen from the rogue.

Henley added, "And some aren't even mages. Isn't this E's second time in too?" His words hung between them as the two veteran Templars tried to understand the depth of danger the Inquisitor and her party were in having entered the Fade in such a way.

"Send for Sister Nightingale and Solas," Cullen commanded and Byron immediately summoned one of his men to fetch the two. "While I meet with them, I want one more sweep of the fortress done. I want every demon and maleificar dead. Then set up a perimeter around the large rift and stay with it. I want your assessment of its stability once I'm finished."

"Yes, Commander," Henley saluted and went to carry out his orders.

Turning back toward the damaged ramparts, he reigned in his emotions, trying to calmly reassure himself that they hadn't gathered enough information yet for him to wallow in despair at her disappearance - again. For now, the Inquisitor may have saved herself and her entire party with quick reckless thinking, though unintentionally placing them in far greater danger.

"Cullen," Owayne stood and walked to him as if the few feet he took were through heavy snow, "I'm no Templar, w-what you two were talking about, what does it mean?" The Commander's face turned sympathetic, "That's my sister, and… Cass. Maker, I can't lose them both." The pleading brown Trevelyan eyes looked darker as his skin paled.

Cullen gripped his shoulders, "I won't lie to you, it means they may indeed be alive, but in more danger than what any of us can comprehend. The Fade is a dark twisted place where demons lurk waiting to prey on the living. It's all around us, and the Breach and the many rifts have weakened the Veil making it easier for them to come through." Owayne's eyes looked distant as he stumbled a step backward as if she were going to faint, "I've already sent for Solas, if anyone can tell us more about their current situation it's him. But until we know more," his hands squeezed him harder, gently commanding his attention away from his troubled thoughts, "do not give up hope. They aren't alone, and the two of them are exceptionally skilled and intelligent." Seeing someone react the way he felt, gave Cullen the strength he needed to confront it and think rationally. He was in command now, despite Leliana's presence, this was a military operation that gave command over to him by default.

"Find me Knight-Captain Rylen, he should be somewhere by the western wall," he barked to a nearby soldier who ran off. There were suddenly a great many things that needed to be done threatening to overwhelm him. Already the hammering of a headache was beginning in his left temple and he could feel a slight tremble in his hands. It had been a long few days with little rest and heaping amounts of stress. One thing was certain, he was going to rely heavily on his two most trusted Knight-Captains as the dust from the battle settled and the search for the Inquisitor began.

 ***

After the battlefield and prisoners were secured, the Commander called a meeting in the Command Tent hours later. The sun was rising, and though everyone was dead on their feet, time was of the essence to come up with a plan to retrieve their missing party. As the problem to discuss dealt with the Inquisitor, the inner circle was summoned along with Leliana, Rylen, Owayne, Henley, and Ilara. Of the companions, only Solas, Sorin, Vivienne, Bull, Sera, and Cole remained in camp. Filing in, word had spread like wildfire of the disappearance of the Inquisitor, which showed in the frowns and grim demeanor of all those present. One of his aides had made a fresh pot of coffee and scrounged up some biscuits for the impromptu gathering. Having met with the Spymaster and apostate elf, it was time to debrief the rest of the group and see if they could collectively come up with a solution.

Cullen looked around at them with a deep frown, for addressing them all was the Inquisitor's job, "The situation is dire…"

"You think?" Sera chimed in, "And arrows won't fix it? Rubbish. Stupid Inky, stupid magic." It sounded more defeatist than her usual level of sarcasm.

"When the fire goes out, how do we see? She was the fire, she lit the path ahead. Now lost in the dark without hope." Cole commented in his haunting and cryptic manner.

"Silence, demon," Madame Vivienne scolded coldly. "Really, Commander, why is it here?"

Before he could respond, Solas interjected, "Because the Commander understands what is at stake wishing to use every advantage at his disposal. Cole, as a spirit, has a unique connection to the Fade."

"Then he can aid the Inquisitor in getting out of the Fade and stay there, where it belongs," The two mages glared at each other.

"No, no, no, no, no, it's not home! It should be. It's not. This isn't me, not this part. I will be stuck there! No, no, no, no, no…" Cole continued to spiral as Solas tried to calm him, but instead, he vanished in thin air.

"Creepy. I hate when it talks at us," Sera spat and in a rare moment, she and Vivienne shared a nod of agreement. Cullen pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling his headache throb at their squabbling. Angered by their treatment of the supposed spirit, Solas opened his mouth, but the Commander halted any further arguments.

"Enough!" Lacking the diplomatic voice of the Inquisitor, he addressed the group as if an undisciplined gaggle of recruits, "If the Inquisitor trusts Cole, then that should be sufficient enough for all of us!" While he shared their concerns about the odd young man, Evelyn had passed her judgment on him allowing him to stay, and he would abide by her decision. He shook his head, endeavoring to bring his tone and volume back to a respectable level. "We are here to discuss possible solutions in bringing the Inquisitor and the others back. We cannot afford to dismiss any possibilities when the fate of all of Thedas relies on her mark." His words put everyone in a contemplative state, "Solas if you'd please share what you've found."

Nodding respectfully, the elf cleared his throat, "From what I was able to discover as I walked the Fade, was that the party is intact." Cullen's eyes caught Owayne sigh with visible relief. "However, I was unable to see them with my own eyes, for what I impart to you comes from what the spirits spoke of." At that, the Templars and other mages sighed with doubt. He didn't blame them for it, part of him felt the same, but for her, he'd be willing to quiet his uneasiness… for now. Solas continued, "Corypheus is the only one who knows how to enter the Fade physically, besides the Inquisitor. Since cooperating with him is assumingly out of the question--"

"Undoubtedly," Leliana said definitively.

"Then, perhaps someone in Tevinter could aid us. Perhaps Altus Pavus' father, since he too is trapped in the Fade?" Both he and the Spymaster exchanged looks, having already discussed it between the two of them in private immediately after his Fade walk. They deemed that it would take too long and no doubt be an extensive political process to elicit the aid of Magister Pavus. Yet, they watched and waited to hear from the others at his proposal.

"This is the Boss we're talking about. She isn't just going to play the damsel and wait for us to rescue her. If anything, she's already got a plan and will be back any minute. And let's not forget who she's with, I mean, she and Dorian already came back from the future in Redcliffe. The whole group is full of kick-ass people." Bull was right, of course, and most in the room seemed to nod in agreement.

"Hold up, if Inky's mark opened a veil-hole, what's to say she can't do it again and just pop back?" Everyone was silent for a moment thinking over Sera's rather obvious theory. "Wot? Did I get it? All you big hats and it's me who figures it out."

"If it was as simple as that, don't you think the Inquisitor would've done so by now?" Solas offered, to which the city elf stuck her tongue out at him, punching a hole in her idea. "In fact, I would hope Dorian and Cassandra would caution her against using the anchor in the Fade for fear of how it would affect its spread. Perhaps, she can't use it in there because it's meant to be used on this side of the Veil."

"So, I'm not an expert on, well, anything we're talking about," Owayne began, "but, if they entered through a rift, what's to say we can't go into the Fade through that big arse one in the fortress and save them?"

"Darling, no one should go into the Fade physically. Of that, I believe Solas and I can agree, and we can count the number of things on which we agree on one hand," Vivienne elegantly put. "We have no idea what would happen if someone tried to cross through it."

Solas added, "Quite right, the transition across the Veil could tear you apart. The rift was opened using blood magic, not the mark. There are too many unknowns to safely surmise the potential risks and consequences."

"If Dalish can be of help to you, just ask," the elven apostate looked at him curiously, and the Qunari cleared his throat, "You know… she's Dalish and, um… archers know things…" Cullen shook his head at the continued pretense.

"Thank you, but the Knight-Enchanter Cyrus has volunteered to help already." Looking over to the mage, Cullen found him staring off looking slightly unnerved. His dark swirling locks fell about his face as if trying to hide his rare show of emotions. When Henley elbowed him, Sorin stirred and nodded to Solas in recognition. "My recommendation is that we wait. As The Iron Bull said, they are resourceful. We can try and learn what we can, but I fear there is little we can do from this side of the Veil."

"As it stands, in the center of Adamant is a large rift which is periodically spawning demons. When word of its survival reaches the Elder One, he will come for it. If he still wants his demon army, there is the means by which he can obtain it. We are guarding his next target, and make no mistake, he will send the army we saw at Haven against us." Cullen's mind flashed back to the battle months ago against the Venatori and Red Templars. The Siege of Adamant suddenly felt like child's play compared to fighting that army. "The Inquisition's army must remain here until we discover a means of closing the rift, whether that means bringing the Inquisitor back or discovering other alternatives." The intensity of his gaze on each of them conveyed just how dire the situation was. After a long pause, the palpable tension was becoming unbearable, and he sighed turning to Leliana, "I will summon Master Gatsi and his crew here with all haste. Adamant must be repaired if we are to defend this position. At this time, I see no other alternative." At having worked so hard to break the old fortress, he cursed himself for being so proficient at destroying it.

"Understood. I will take over the search for retrieving the Inquisitor and researching other solutions," a fixed frown had set upon the redhead's lips. At that moment, they shared the weight of the great burden now placed upon them.

The thankful disruption of a raven from Skyhold was excuse enough to dismiss them all as the two advisors went to read the Ambassador's letter. Having lingered giving him a knowing look, once everyone had filed out, Ilara relieved the horrid pain of his headache to a dull annoyance. Without Dorian, he was thankful for her assistance and discretion, relaying the sentiment before she left. While he was treated, Leliana had read the letter's contents and handed it over to him with a frown. Cullen had assigned one of the administrative aids to send regular updates back to Josephine throughout the battle, but they had yet to hear from her until now.

Dear Commander Rutherford,

I appreciated the regular updates, as did all of Skyhold who were eager to know how their comrades faired in battle. I have announced the outcome to the major powers, but have said nothing of the fate of the Grey Wardens. As you can imagine, King Alistair and Queen Elissa are pressing us for details, threatening to send emissaries to Skyhold to demand answers from the Inquisitor. Additionally, I have left out the fact that the Inquisitor remains missing, for even as the news would be shared with allies if the information fell into the wrong hands its repercussions could be severe.

I do believe we should craft a simple statement about the Wardens to pacify the Fereldens until the Inquisitor, Maker willing, is returned to us to pass her official judgment on them. As to what information you believe we should share, I leave it to you.

Maker watch over you all,

Ambassador Josephine Montilyet of the Inquisition

"Josie's right, we need to make a statement," Leliana grazed her fingers across her lips and chin in thought.

He couldn't help but absently mimic her, listening to his soft leather gloves scrape against his scruff, "Then let us only relay the good news, that we saved as many Wardens as possible from the Elder One's corruption and ended Lord Erimond's scheme."

"Yes," she pointed a finger, "let the powers that be focus on Erimond and his treachery, rather than everything else. Their outrage will buy us time."

"Agreed. I will--"

"No, Cullen," she gave him a chastising sisterly look, "you need rest. I've seen how hard you've been pushing yourself, not to mention not having stopped since the battle ended. Go. This mess will still be here when you awaken, or would you rather I go fetch Enchanter Ilara back here?"

He sighed in defeat, placing his hands up, "No, I'll go. I should recruit that woman to be one of my officers with the way she commands everyone about. Clearly, all her experience came from dealing with Evelyn…" Both shared a pained look and without another word, he trudged off towards his tent to try and get some sleep.