Healing the Dark - Dragon Age Inquisition Fanfic

More climbing. 

Given these were quite possibly the last hours of her life, she was a bit miffed she was spending them climbing a cold arse mountain. And considering she was quite possibly dying, she would have thought she would be more... upset about it. Maybe even throw herself down on the ground in a good old-fashioned tantrum or beg God for some last-minute miracle or more time. She was strangely calm. 

Because this might not be real anyway? Or maybe she was just... overloaded. If this was real, so much had happened, and she'd had no time to process it. Not to mention the parts she knew were real, like Katie, and getting shot herself. Those were traumatic situations. Maybe she was in some kind of shock. A psychotic break, and she was hallucinating?

At least partway up, the rocky path became stairs. It made small difference to the burning muscles in her legs. They started seeing people too, some of them injured, others treating them. There was an air of defeat and misery over everyone. Exhaustion, fatigue, and a lack of hope, she guessed. There were bodies too, some of them wrapped in cloth and tied with rope, others not yet. There was a man doing so, his face grim while he tended to the dead. 

Would this be what the halls and classrooms at her school were like after the shooter was done there? 

"Holiday?" 

Though Solas's voice was soft and gentle, she jumped at the sound. She hadn't realised she had stopped walking and was staring. 

"Sorry," she muttered, hurrying to catch up. "Holli. Everyone just calls me Holli." 

He nodded; a small smile rested on one corner of his lips. "Holli."

She felt the familiar tingle in her hands and knew they were approaching a rift. Sure enough, the sounds of battle carried out to them as they climbed the stairs. 

"Wait until it's safe," Cassandra ordered.

Holli nodded, trying to take shelter from the wind beneath the ruined archway they passed through. Her teeth were chattering again, and everything felt wet: her shoes, her clothes, her cloak, her hair. She was probably going to get pneumonia. Were they even able to treat that here?

Whatever spell Solas had cast on her at the beginning of their climb had worn off, or perhaps it wasn't strong enough to fight this deeper cold.

She watched the three run in, Varric and Solas keeping demons from overwhelming Cassandra. There were other soldiers around too, the elf and dwarf doing their best to have their backs as well. 

As they took more ground, wiping out the demons between her and the rift, she moved closer. She still kept a safe distance, but she wanted to be able to reach the rift quickly and close it once it was clear. 

It didn't take them long to manage it, and she ran forward, skidding a little on the stones as she raised her hand and closed the rift. It was getting a little easier at least, though no less painful. 

"Sealed, as before. You are becoming quite proficient at this," Solas commended, his words flooding her chest with warmth.

"Let's hope it works on the big one," Varric added.

Holli didn't know if she wanted it to work or not. If it didn't, maybe she wouldn't die. But then, it was the mark killing her, not necessarily the Breach. 

"Lady Cassandra."

The group looked towards a tall blonde warrior walking their way. Holy crap he was kinda hot. 

"You managed to close the rift," he said, clearly relieved.

"Do not congratulate me, Commander. This is Holli's doing."

They both looked to her, and she gave an awkward wave before wrapping her cloak tighter around her. Was there a blizzard coming?

"Is it?" His eyes were piercing and exhausted. "I hope they're right about you. We've lost a lot of people getting you here."

A part of her bristled at his words. She hadn't asked them to. The other part just felt guilty. What if it was all for nothing?

"Sorry," she muttered, her eyes dropping to his boots. 

"No I- it wasn't an accusation." He looked to Cassandra and cleared his throat awkwardly. "The way to the temple is clear. Leliana will try to meet you there."

"Then we best move quickly. Give us time, Commander."

"Maker watch over you—for all our sakes," he said, turning away to help his injured soldiers. 

The way ahead was shrouded in snow and smoke and dust, but she could see jagged rocks jutting up and out of it, the faint glow of the Breach where it stretched down to the earth.

They dropped down to the ground below, where there were the remains of people. They were burnt, on their hands and knees, some of them still aflame. She had never seen anything like it outside of movies and video games. Why were they still so intact while everything else was near destroyed?

"The Temple of Sacred Ashes," Solas told her.

"What's left of it..." Varric added. 

Cassandra pointed to a spot near a half-collapsed wall. "That is where you fell out of the Fade, and our soldiers found you. They say a figure was in the rift behind you. No one knows who it was." 

"What did the figure look like?" She asked, veering off to check out the spot Cassandra had indicated. It was just broken stone, some bones... Nothing special about it. It was easier to focus on the stones and bones than the still-burning people, at least. 

"They say it was glowing; beyond that, they couldn't make out anything else." 

"What room was here before the explosion?" And if she had anything to do with the forming of the Breach, why did she appear here, so far away from it?

"I don't know," Cassandra replied. 

Holli looked to Solas and Varric.

"Sorry, kid, I never set foot in this place before it was destroyed." 

"Nor I," Solas replied. 

"Come." 

The three followed Cassandra deeper into the ruins, down some stairs. Given the explosion had been powerful enough to tear a hole in the sky, she was surprised as much had remained intact as it was. 

When the foot of the Breach came into view, she froze, staring at it in awe. Her eyes followed the magic all the way up. They were under the Breach now, and the tingling in her hand was more like having metal shards repeatedly stabbing into her skin and muscle and bone. She gave it a shake, hoping to ease it and ultimately failing. 

There was another rift connected to the Breach, but this one was different, and there were no demons around. Was it a trap? How clever were demons? So far they didn't strike her as particularly cunning. 

"The Breach is a looong way up," Varric pointed out.

How was she supposed to reach that? She figured she had about a six metre range with her hand. 

"You're here. Thank the Maker."

They turned to see Leliana with a contingent of soldiers behind her, armoured and armed. Leliana jogged over to them. 

"Leliana, have your men take up positions around the temple," Cassandra told her.

The other woman nodded, heading back to her people to dish out orders. Cassandra came to stand before Holli, blocking her view of the rift.

"This is your chance to end this. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be, I guess. What's the plan to get me up there?"

"We do not need to. This rift was the first, and it is the key. Seal it, and perhaps we seal the Breach," Solas told them.

"Then let's find a way down. And be careful." 

They surveyed the scene before them, managing to find a bit of a winding path through the rocks that would at least get them closer if not all the way. 

"Now is the hour of our victory."

Holli flinched at the deep voice that boomed out across the pit they were in. They all looked around, searching for a source. Cassandra had even drawn her sword, expecting an attack. 

"Bring forth the sacrifice."

"What are we hearing?" Cassandra asked.

"At a guess, the person who created the Breach," Solas replied.

At least it didn't sound like her. They pressed on, Holli's attention grabbed by huge, glowing red crystals protruding from the stone. They were bigger than she was. Hell, they were taller than Solas. She reached out to touch one before Varric roughly pulled her back.

"Don't touch it." He looked to Cassandra. "That's red Lyrium, Seeker." 

"I see it, Varric."

"But what's it doing here?"

"Magic could have drawn on Lyrium beneath the temple, corrupting it."

"It's evil." Varric gave Holli a warning look. "Whatever you do, don't touch it."

She nodded, taking a few steps back from it. Was Varric just being paranoid, or was he right?

"What is Lyrium?"

"It is a mineral that forms underground. It also grows in the Fade and links our world to it. Raw lyrium is dangerous to touch and usually blue. Avoid it if you ever come across it. But properly refined, it can be a mage's best friend," Solas told her. 

"I have so many questions for you, kid. What kind of world did you come from?"

"If I live through this, I'll tell you all about it."

His face fell for just a moment, a look of pity flashing across it before he smiled to cover it up. 

"We can do it over a drink. I have a feeling we'll need it when this is over." 

Holli grinned back. Her experience with alcohol was limited, mostly because she was afraid of turning into her mother. But she had been to the odd party where she'd gotten a bit buzzed. She wouldn't mind getting absolutely sloshed if she came out the other side of this.

"Varric." Cassandra's tone was chiding, but she was cut off from any further reprimand by the disembodied voice.

"Keep the sacrifice still."

"Someone! Help me!"

"That is Divine Justinia's voice..." 

It seemed pretty obvious she was the sacrifice the other guy was talking about. What Holli didn't understand was where she fit into all this. 

There was a big drop down to the ground below, way too high for Holli. She stood at the edge, looking around for some kind of incline she could slide down. Below her, Solas noticed, and he reached his arms up, a gesture for her to jump. She bit her lip, eventually sitting on the edge and scooting over until she slid off. He did catch her at least, setting her on the ground. What a gentleman.

"Thank you. Again." 

He merely inclined his head with that same gentle smile on his face.

They made their way towards the rift; this one was much bigger than the others. Her hands started sparking as they got closer to it, and the light around the rift became almost blinding. 

When it died down, they could see a shadowy figure with red glowing eyes. Holli tensed. Was this an attack? It took her a second to realise it wasn't. 

"Bring forth the sacrifice."

An elderly woman suddenly appeared, roughly shoved forward by unseen assailants. She was quickly bound and lifted by magic as she called for help. The shadowy figure started to raise its hand, and then Holli appeared out of thin air, her arm outstretched towards something. 

Holli watched herself, blood all over her, disoriented, barely able to stand. Her hand was holding something, and light was growing from it. Then she started to fall.

"No! Stop!" The male voice cried out, urgency and anger in the command.

And then the light flashed; it felt like it burnt her retinas. She squeezed her eyes shut and looked away. When she looked back, it was all gone. Holli had only been there for a second, maybe less than a second. And everything had gone to shit.

Cassandra grabbed Holli by the shoulder, whirling her around to face her. "You were there! Who attacked? And the Divine, is she...? Was this vision true? What are we seeing?"

"I don't know." 

Had Cassandra seen Holli's condition in that vision? That she had been there less than a second? Holli had no memory of this. How had she appeared there like that, seemingly out of nowhere? Like magic...

"Echoes of what happened here. The Fade bleeds into this place," Solas told them. He turned back to face them. "This rift is not sealed, but it is closed... albeit temporarily. I believe that with the mark, the rift can be opened and then sealed properly and safely. However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side."

"That means demons." Cassandra's voice rang out to the soldiers taking up position around them. "Stand ready!"

Cassandra looked to her. "Once you have opened the rift, get somewhere safe until we have dealt with them." 

Holli nodded, taking a calming breath. Closing this rift could very well kill her, possibly waking her up in her own world. She stepped closer to it, looking around as everyone drew their weapons. When Cassandra gave her a nod, Holli tore the rift open. 

"Come on, kid," Varric said.

She looked down to see Varric tugging her hand. She let him pull her away, and they ran a safe distance from the rift. He found an outcropping of rocks he shoved her behind. 

"Stay down."

Holli watched him as he fiercely guarded her little hidey hole, which was actually kind of warm. The warmest little spot she'd found since waking up in this hellhole. Varric fired off a few more arrows at what she couldn't see. But the roar that bellowed out vibrated in her bones. 

The roar sounded again, a lot closer this time, and she peeked her head out.

"What the fuck...?" The creature was huge, with spiked skin and lightning whip-looking powers. Was this also a demon? Definitely didn't look like the green ghost things or the weird, wiggly, dark ones. 

"Stay down!" Varric barked at her. She quickly ducked back behind her rock.

She wasn't sure how long it took before he told her to close the rift, but once he gave her the all clear, she ran out, nearly slipping over on the stones, and closed the rift. 

This one fought back, though, not unlike when she'd tried to close one while demons were still about. She felt something start to give, and she wasn't sure if it was her or the rift. 

And then it broke.