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midnightwind · 20 days ago

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Clipped Wings

Summary: Bringing home the Demon of Vyrantium was supposed to be a moment of triumph, but with the Cantori Diamond in shambles and the First Talon likely dead, the victory is bittersweet. Recruiting her fellow Crow was not supposed to go like this…

Word Count: 4845

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Chapter 5: Blood on the Doorstep

Getting back to the boat had been… interesting to say the least. Renn had gently flailed in the water upon finding herself spat out a few strokes from the vessel, giving the Crow that was holding out an oar to her a dark look as the woman suppressed a laugh poorly. The trio spilled into their seats, soaked, but Bellara and Renn were all smiles as they set off. All things considered, it had been the smoothest any of their jobs had been so far. No random monsters, sudden dire collapse of the location, or unexpected twists. The mage was actually looking forward to giving her report for once. The job didn’t go off the rails so Viago couldn’t yell at her for the next hour about it.

She had turned to start asking Lucanis more questions, but the words seemed to die on her tongue. His gaze was fixed on the city drawing closer. There was a mix of disbelief and joy, trepidation and hope, in his eyes. She imagined he must feel a lot like how she did on her return. A year away from home without knowing what to expect when you got back… So she stayed quiet, busying herself with wringing her leathers and hair out over the edge of the boat. When they bumped to a stop in the canal, she stepped off quickly and turned to help Bellara out. Lucanis was a bit slower and she offered her hand to him as well.

He stared down at it for a breath before taking it, letting her haul him to solid ground. She gave the Crow mage a brief word of thanks before waving, leading them into Treviso proper. As they climbed back to the rooftops, she wondered if it all felt the same for him. Occupation aside, had the city changed much? She started trying to follow where his gaze fixed along the route, to identify if he was finding old haunts or favorite stalls still running. What would Treviso look like through his eyes? What secrets would only someone who was raised in its streets know?

As they approached the Cantori Diamond, she was a half second too late to move her gaze away from him. Caught, she offered up a sheepish grin and he surprisingly met it with his own small smile. There was a note of genuine hope in that look and it made her heart flutter. Stripped of the awful events, the political mess, their standing as Crows, he was just a man finally coming home. If he decided he didn’t want to take on the contract for the Evanuris, she wouldn’t even be mad. If nothing else, this was good. She had done a good thing today.

That warmth in her chest almost distracted her enough to miss how empty the Diamond was as her feet touched down. She took three hesitating steps away from the zipline before her mageknife was pulled from its sheath. Something was wrong. With a hand held behind her in warning to Bellara, she crept silently up the stairs. Lucanis was a dark shadow behind her, his daggers glinting in the light. She had made it one step through the doorway before a flash of silver had her lunging forward. Every instinct told her to avoid that blade no matter what and she tumbled into the room. The clash of metal rang out behind her and she spun on her heel to see Viago crossing daggers with Lucanis. Both looked surprised and she let out an annoyed groan.

“Maker’s breath, Vi, what the fuck?” She snapped. “Why do you give the worst welcomes-”

She stopped short as she took in the rest of the Diamond. The collection of tables and chairs that had hosted countless Crows mere hours ago were in disarray. Upended, knocked over, smashed to pieces, the floor was littered with debris. The little sitting room where the First Talon had given her a contract was the worst, signs of a struggle evident. Several bodies still remained, the telltale robes of the Venatori obvious. Teia and Illario were righting a table just for the latter to brace himself against its surface afterwards.

“We hosted some unwelcome guests, as you can see.” Viago answered stiffly, eyes glaring at Lucanis as the two slowly sheathed their weapons.

“How did they get in?” She breathed, stepping further inside to survey the damage.

Teia piped up for that one, a fury simmering in her voice. “We’ve known there are traitors in our midst, but this… this was bold, even for them.”

“It was a message.” Illario's quiet voice slipped along after the Seventh Talon's words, like a knife lovingly placed between the ribs before he slammed a fist against the table, anger igniting. “From Zara Renata.”

That… that didn't feel right and she glanced quizzically at Lucanis. “For the break out..?” But even as she voiced the thought, she knew it was wrong. They'd barely been out for an hour, the attack was too recent for the news to have reached the magister. To hear about the jailbreak, plan the attack, and manage the raid? There simply hadn't been enough time.

Illario finally turned to face the group and as he caught sight of his cousin, she watched a flurry of emotion wash over him. “Lucanis,” he breathed, disbelief plain as a smile pulled at his lips, “you're home.”

He closed the distance between them and placed his hands on the Mage Killer's shoulders, seemingly a moment away from pulling him into a hug before the other man furrowed his brow. “Where's Caterina?”

“The Venatori,” Teia started with a wobbling voice, “they got her in the confusion.”

Illario scowled. “I get one of you back just to lose the other.”

Renn swayed on her feet, seemingly kept upright by Bellara's steadying hand on her arm alone. The First Talon was dead? She'd been back in Treviso for a handful of hours and they'd suffered a heavy blow. For a single moment, the dark worry that somehow this was her fault came unbidden to her. Her gaze flicked to Lucanis, watching the grief wash over him in a cold wave. He shut his eyes before he squared his shoulders, a sharp edge to voice.

“I need to work.” He ground out.

“Are you sure?” Teia's voice was so soft in comparison.

“You just got back.” Illario added, an almost pleading note to the words. “And already you want to leave?”

“Caterina gave me a contract.” Lucanis wavered and he blinked a few times as if fighting off tears before the steel was back in his voice. “I'm not breaking the last deal Caterina ever made. Once my contract with Rook is finished, I'll come back.”

Renn forced a bright smile to her lips. “I'll try to make it a quick job.”

“Cousin…” Illario started, but Lucanis held a hand up to stop him.

“Zara won't get away with this. I'll make sure she pays.”

Viago seemed to bristle at that. “We can't hunt down a rogue Magister while the Antaam occupy the city. We need you here-”

“No.” Teia cut him off sharply, fury bright in her eyes. “Zara came into my House. She took Caterina from my House. You find her, Lucanis, and you cut out her heart.”

Illario gave them both a sharp smile. “I'll start looking for her trail while you hunt the gods, Cousin. When I find her, though, I want, no… need to be there when you kill her.”

Lucanis seemed to sigh ever so slightly. “Illario…”

He held his hands up in a placating manner. “She took from us both. I want to help on this one, okay?”

“I'm not sure how helpful your way of doing things will be.” The Crow muttered, but he didn't outright turn down the other man and that seemed good enough for him.

“Teia, could you perhaps catch Lucanis up on what he's missed in his year away?” The smile that Illario had been wearing seemed to disappear as he grew somber. “I… I need to deal with the House now that…”

“Of course.” Teia placed a hand gently on his arm before beckoning the other assassin away.

Renn gave him a reassuring smile as Illario made himself scarce before she glanced at her own Talon. Viago jerked his head, the minute motion summoning her to one of the many alcoves. Her shoulders slumped as she cast Teia a begging look. The Seventh Talon merely shrugged. Resigned to her fate, she trudged after her Talon, leaving Lucanis and Bellara to the mercy of Teia. Viago waited for her with his usual cold glare, not moving an inch until she slotted herself into the corner. He boxed her in, voice low.

“What happened.”

She almost groaned. All the theatrics for a simple report. What was a world shattering attack on their inner sanctum and the loss of their head Talon compared to a boring report? “Broke into the prison, killed a bunch of blood mages and demons, freed Dellamorte, killed his target, came here. Perfect mission. Do I get a gold star?”

He raised a single brow, eyes looking down with purpose. She followed the gaze, unable to school the grimace that leapt to her lips. He had a dagger pressed flush to her hand, blood beading at the edge. She didn't feel it.

“You used too much magic. Again.” He snapped, flicking the dagger out of sight. “I could see it in how you walked. Steps too heavy, too slow. Renn, you can't keep-”

“What do you want me to do? Retire?” It was her turn to snap, voice hissing and angry. “I do good work, Vi, better than a lot of Crows. You can't afford to sideline me, and I wouldn't listen anyways. I need to keep moving. I can either do that under your direction or my own, but I can't do nothing.”

He rubbed a hand over his face. “Mirenna…” For a moment, a deep weariness cut through his usual sharp edges. He looked exhausted. “I need you to take care of yourself. This isn't a normal job, you're chasing gods.”

“Ancient mages.” She offered unhelpfully, guilt twisting her stomach. “Which is why I have Lucanis now.”

“You have the Mage Killer and it feels like you're forgetting you are a mage.” His paranoia was twisting his words half an octave higher.

She gestured vaguely back the way they came. “Weren't you guys, like, friends? Or whatever approaches a friend for you. And unless someone takes a hit out on me, I don't see Mr. Model Assassin doing anything to me.”

Viago's gaze flickered to where the other Crow was standing. Lucanis seemed almost lost, staring at the upended tables and chairs. He absently pushed debris away with a boot, as if the shards of wood and dust were hiding answers. He was a shadow of the man who had left on ‘just another contract.’ It didn't fill the Fifth Talon with confidence.

“He did good work. But that was a year ago.” He shook his head, rounding back on the elf. “His family is trouble, has always been trouble. The First Talon lost almost her whole family to a raid. Then she lost her favored grandchild a year ago. Now, she's lost her life. Who's to say Lucanis and Illario are not next? You could get dragged into that mess if you bring him on.”

She narrowed her eyes, tucking away the information. “Is that why you never wanted to bring me along when you had work here? Were you scared I'd get embroiled in, what, a family curse?”

His concern melted into bland annoyance. “No, I didn't want you to pick up their bad habits. You have enough of your own already.”

She blinked in surprise, trying to stifle the laugh that bubbled up. She failed. “Again, Mr. Model Assassin. I'd have thought you'd want me to pick up some habits from the First Talon's prodigy.”

Viago scoffed. “I saw the actual reports from his jobs. I didn't need you gaining an extra layer of absolute chaos or a softer heart than you already have. And I absolutely did not want you within a mile of the other Dellamorte.”

Her head tilted in curiosity. Soft heart? That didn't seem to fully track with what she'd seen from Lucanis, but Crows weren't always the same when off the job. Another little note she tucked away for later. “Illario? Lucanis said he has a similar style to Teia…”

“Hence why I left you in Salle.” He pressed a hand to his temple, massaging it and sighing. “Tell me about the Ossuary.” She hesitated, a faltering in her breath he didn't miss. “Renn,” his voice had a scolding edge, “what were they doing in there? What did they do to him?”

She chewed her lip, gaze skittering to the side. “Nothing good.” She finally said. “He's had a rough year.”

His voice was low, quiet and sharp. “Is he a danger?”

She stared at Lucanis as the man nodded numbly along with whatever Teia was saying. “No more than any other Crow.”

“Trouble.” He muttered.

“That's the job.” She shrugged. “It'd be better to ask him for details. We found him mid escape. Took out five mages without any help, so I think he's still perfectly capable.”

“Why does it sound like you're covering for him?” There was a dark note in his voice, a concern she hadn't heard since she was a teenager.

She rolled her eyes. “It's not like that, Vi. The place was already a mess when I got there. I can hazard a guess at what was being done, but Lucanis would actually know.”

“Give me your guess.”

She rubbed her hands over her face, letting out an exhausted sigh. “The Venatori were fighting a bunch of demons. The place was falling apart and overrun. Could have been the usual blood rituals, demonic research, or they looked too deep into an Elven Ruin. I don't know. Ask him for his report.”

Viago's stare was sharp and judging, but she just met it with her own bored look. She wasn’t exactly lying to him, but she was withholding information and that sat uneasily on her shoulders. It just… felt wrong to talk about Spite without Lucanis knowing. If she learned more, something substantial, then she would tell Viago. They stood like that for a long minute before he broke, a frustrated sigh escaping. His hand disappeared into his pocket, pulling out a tightly wrapped parcel. He offered it to her with two fingers, pulling it back sharply as she reached for it.

“These are potent, Renn. Use a light touch. If anyone at your little base steps out of line…” The threat hung in the air.

She snatched the gift and stowed it safely away. “You made me a care package, that's so sweet. I'm not poisoning my team, though.” He opened his mouth to argue, but she just grinned up at him. “Five second warning.”

All the concern and annoyance was replaced with alarm in an instant. He managed to take two rapid steps backwards before she surged forward, a crackle announcing her magic boosting her. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a crushing hug. He was stiff at the contact, as usual, all discomfort and unease. It caused a suffocating wave of homesickness to wash through her.

“I missed you, Vi.” She whispered.

He was quiet for a long moment before the ghost of a touch brushed against her back. “You survive this, Renn. You come home.”

“Or you'll come after me in the Fade yourself.” She laughed, finally releasing him. “Keep me updated on things here and let me know if you need help, okay?”

“Your current contract-”

“Has long periods of waiting for information. I can do sanctioned work here in the meantime, if you let me know.”

It was his turn to rub at his eyes. “Fine. But no hero business this time.”

She slipped past him, a skip in her step. “Haven't you heard? It's all hero business now.”

The look of pure exasperation he cast after her put a wide grin on her lips. She and Teia exchanged a quick hug, hands trailing in a lingering embrace as she hummed her way back to her party, the Talon sidling up next to Viago. Lucanis was casting her a curious look as she led the duo back towards the mirror.

“I don't think I've ever seen anyone touch Viago without falling to the ground convulsing afterwards.” There was a note of almost awe in his voice.

“No one else can call him big brother without getting a knife to the gut, too, if you want to keep being amazed.” She tossed a grin over her shoulder to him. “It does help that I was raised on his best concoctions, though.”

She massaged her jaw as a phantom ache shot through it, but the motion was lost as she stepped through the eluvian. The Fade dragged lazy fingers through her soul before she popped out into the Crossroads. The rush of raw magic that filled the place chased away the pins and needles from her fingers and she flexed them gratefully. Moving to the side, she waited for the assassin to step through, trying to smother the wide grin of anticipation pulling at the corners of her mouth. She saw his gloved hand poke through, the tentative first touch against the glass, before the rest of him followed. The Fade trailed after him with a ghostly purple hue, like tendrils of smoke spiraling off him. He shook his head, brow furrowed, before he ran a calculated gaze around the collection of mirrors. Check every corner and do it fast. She almost laughed. Crow training at its finest.

Bellara was a step behind him, bouncing through happily and extending a hand in front of herself. “Welcome to the Crossroads! A sort of safe space for us mortals.”

“Sort of?” He questioned softly, a hand resting on a dagger hilt.

Renn did grin at that. “The Evanuris are trying to break in, so sometimes we have to deal with their goons. We cleared out this section a while ago. There’s even a market up ahead, though only one of the spirits accepts gold.”

“Oh, speaking of,” Bellara turned pleading eyes on her, “can I do a little shopping before we head back?”

“For a few minutes.” She laughed, tossing over the little bag of the curious green substance that passed for currency in the Fade. “Try not to buy anything too weird.”

“Thanks Rook!”

And then the elf was gone, leaving the two Crows alone. Renn folded her hands behind her back, all smiles as Lucanis simply took in the area. She watched him do a little circle around the mirror to Treviso before he glanced at the other towering mirrors.

“So, all of these…?” He trailed off, blinking in fascination.

“All potential doors! They’re not always open, we have to sometimes find the connections before they work. There are other islands like this one with more eluvians. Sort of divided up by area. Like, this island has mirrors for Treviso, Minrathous, and Nevarra.” She counted each location off on a finger. “The neighboring island leads to Arlathan and… somewhere else! Haven’t figured out where yet. There are still parts of the Crossroad we haven’t explored either.” A note of frustration entered her voice at that. “The Caretaker thinks it’s too dangerous or unstable for us.” He cast her a questioning look. “Oh, they’re a spirit. They look after the Lighthouse and Crossroads, a relic from Solas. Seems friendly enough. You’ll meet them soon.”

“Alright…” He cast one last look around the area before falling in step at her side. “Wish I had a network like this for my contracts.”

She grinned as she led him towards the market. “Maybe the Caretaker will let us use it after we save the world.”

He hummed a little laugh before falling silent. When next he spoke, his voice was quiet. “You didn't tell the Crows about… about Spite.”

“Were you eavesdropping?” There was no malice in her tone, no accusation.

A heavy sigh caused his shoulders to sag. “I was trying not to, Spite had other plans.”

“The Diamond was built to carry sound.” She waved off his worry. “But it’s not my secret to spill. I’d be a hypocrite, I think…”

That caused him to miss a step, almost like he wanted to put distance between them suddenly. She didn’t miss how his hands twitched near his weapons and it caused her to laugh. There was barely a note of earnest amusement in the noise, a cold edge that hung between them. She was all smiles.

“Lucanis, dear, I’m not an abomination.” She placed a hand to her chest, dipping her head for a moment. “I’ve nothing against them, where it concerns present company, I simply have a situation that borders upon the same idea. When we interrupted Solas’ ritual and he got stuck in the Fade, he made an annoying little connection with me. So now he gets to whine and complain in my dreams whenever he wants. I wasn’t going to tell Viago any of that, so why would I mention Spite to him? The man already yells at me enough as is.”

“You’re not worried?”

“I’m worried about a lot of things, but you and Spite? Low on the list. That’s kind of the thing about Crows. If you were going to kill me, I wouldn’t have made it out of the Ossuary. We could have a fun game of trying to kill each other once we reach the Lighthouse, but you don’t strike me as a man who plays pointless games like that. You said it yourself, you prefer the direct approach.” She shrugged, pressing herself up against the archway’s pillar to watch Bellara flit among the stalls.

“You trust me.” The weight held by that single word could press diamonds into shape. “But you're ignoring the demon.”

A little whine escaped her as she folded her arms across her chest. “I mean, sure. Maybe Spite is a problem, but they seem fine right now? I don't know, I'm not an expert on spirits and demons. We have a Tevinter mage back at base, maybe Neve will have a better understanding about what they did to you. But in the meantime? So long as you don't explode into a demon, we're good. Okay?”

She could feel the stare he turned on her and she shrank ever so slightly from it. An abomination did make her uncomfortable, she was a mage. They were a boogeyman trotted out any time someone got spooked by a spell. But freaking out or blaming the assassin wasn't going to fix it. It helped that he was a Maker damned legend to her, but it was also the decent way to act. She wasn't going to give up whatever scraps of humanity she had left.

When she did finally tip her gaze back towards him, he had mirrored her somewhat on the other pillar. His arms were crossed, head tilted slightly. He fixed his dark eyes on her, brow furrowed, and his mouth had a slant to it as he thought. She shivered, almost withering as the silence stretched between them. This was a tactic that Viago had weaponized against her countless times: simply waited for her to incriminate herself in a panic just to hear a noise. She still wasn't very good at not doing exactly that. Facing it twice in one day felt unfair and she almost let out a cry of gratitude when he broke the silence for her.

“I imagine you have questions.” There was a deep apprehension nestled in the words.

She barely contained the relieved wheeze that tried to jump free, turning it into a breathless laugh instead. “Oh, loads! But more about your time as the Demon of Vyrantium and less about the actual demon.” She shook her head, holding a hand up. “But for another day. You've had… I mean, calling it a rough day is an understatement. You didn't get to really agree to this contract, so are you okay? With hunting some elven gods?”

He shrugged. “When your Talon gives you a job, you do the job. Especially when your Talon is Caterina.” A weak laugh shook his shoulders before the smile fell.

That almost made her wince. “They’ll suffer for it, Lucanis.” She promised darkly, her usual warm features turning sharp. “However I can help, you'll have it.”

“She wasn't even your Talon.” He offered up quietly, confusion obvious.

“Being a Crow is cut throat, but only another Crow gets to cut that specific throat.” Her hand flexed into a fist. “Zara just turned the whole flock on herself and we have just enough Crows to make it a murder.”

He huffed a laugh. “We only have two.”

“You weren't in the Ossuary by choice. Was Spite?” She cast him a sharp grin.

“We are not making him an honorary Crow.” He snipped dryly.

She sighed heavily. “Fine, we at least have Teia back home. Not as fun, though.”

“Why would you want a demon-”

“Maybe the demon is fun! I don't know, I've never met a demon that couldn't possess me if they wanted to.” She pressed a hand to her temple, flustered suddenly. “I’m trying to find silver linings here. Spite wanting Zara dead too seemed like a good starting point.” A growing sense of mortification was dawning on her. Why was this how she spent the first 24 hours with her assassin idol? “I- Listen, shit’s weird for everyone. Gods are running around blighting everything, Venatori are popping up everywhere, what's one little demon in all that?”

“But you invited the demon home.”

“I invited you home-” The thought ended in a little squeak, her cheeks flushing. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “I hired,” her voice shook slightly, “the Mage Killer to kill some ancient mages. Demon or no, I do need you.”

“I’ll honor the contract.” If his voice had a hint of laughter, she tried to ignore it.

“Good!” She offered brightly, just a touch too loud as she took a bounding step into the market. “Great, awesome. Let's grab Bellara and get you settled into the Lighthouse.”

If Bellara noticed how red her face was when the Crow latched onto her arm, she didn't say. The Jumper was happy to be led away, holding up her finds for Rook to nod or “ooh” at. She tried not to prickle at the stare boring into her back, tried to ignore how it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, to smother the shiver it sent crawling up her spine. Instead she poured her focus into staring at the weird crystals Bellara was holding up to the light, letting the assassin watch her with dark eyes as they walked home.

~◇~

Observation Log 1

The elves appear happy enough, considering the circumstances. Neither seem upset by Spite, just wary. The dwarf is more hostile about her feelings. The Tevinter mage… is hard to read.

Bellara

Veil Jumper (look into more)

Investigate elven ruins (explains the scent Spite found)

Very happy to talk about the Jumpers

Seems nervous all the time?

Lot of energy, easily baited into talking

Hard to direct subject once she starts (relics and elven lore are her favorite)

Asks a lot of questions about assassination…

Seems genuine, a bit blunt, excitable

Keeps looking at me with pity

Does most of the cooking

Ask about the party meals so far

Mage? (Uses a bow…)

Harding

Ties to the disbanded Inquisition

Still working for them?

Functioned as a scout

Actively hostile about Spite (finally one person makes sense)

Has an arrow just for me now (see above)

Seems fairly skilled with a bow (watch back)

Otherwise friendly and genial

Do not let her cook, apparently (?)

Do Not Let Her Cook

Archer

Neve

Tevinter mage

Not a magister, claims not a Venatori

Don't sense blood magic (be wary)

Has dealt with Venatori a lot

Might know about the Ossuary?

Likes to prod

Asks a lot of question

Bellara says she's a famous detective (Be Wary)

Doesn't seem hostile

Might have ties to the Threads or Shadow Dragons

Hoping it's the Dragons

Mage

Rook

Actual name: Mirenna de Riva

Trained directly under Viago

Watch food and drink carefully

Teasing and bright (how are she and Viago related…)

Likely a front, seems to drop it suddenly when work comes up

Unnerved by Spite but hiding it

Plotting or genuine?

Asks a lot about previous jobs

Probably just Crow fascination

Has Dalish markings, but talks about growing up with Viago

Look into clan, if possible

Watch her carefully

Traveled with Varric Tethras for a year

Was chasing Solas, elven apostate turned elven god

Mage (close quarters)

Requested Tags: @weaponizedvirtue

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