For there are these three things that endure: Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is Love.

Corinthians 13:13

We really did run out of the Chant.

There was no end to Lexi's surprise when Gladius entered his tent, and sat down, without extending a greeting or awaiting an invitation. The elf looked like a ghost of himself, but bore no obvious signs of a beating – he simply swayed on his feet as if he had been suffering from a high fever.

Even more surprisingly, Gladius hid his face in his hands and remained silent for so long that Lexi began to suspect that Cassius had cut out his tongue, for some unfathomable reason…

The Altus did not hurry to speak, either, though he did find the intrusion somewhat unnerving. It was not that he disliked Gladius or judged him guilty of his former master's crimes – not even by association, for the few months that he had spent in Cassius' mansion had taught him that the elf bore his tormentor was akin to religious adoration. There was nothing to be done, there: none could save those who did not wish to be saved.

Corso whinnied and prodded him with his nose, then set his sight on the elf; Lexi sighed, but since even the Mabari had intuited the burden of starting the conversation obviously rested with him, he stood and half-filled two goblets with wine. He pulled his rickety campaign chair next to the one that Gladius was sitting on, and offered the elf one of the cups.

Gladius drank it in a single gulp, then set it aside, on the ground, and continued staring into nothingness.

'Are we going to need the bottle?' Lexi kindly asked; the elf finally looked him in the eyes – his stare was blank.

'Probably,' he said, in an equally blank tone.

It was fetched before Lexi could even stand, and it seemed that previous conversations with Corso about bringing bottles in by almost swallowing them whole had had some effect, for the dog had tilted his head at an odd angle, and gently grabbed the bottle by its elongated neck. He'd even managed not to spill any of it – Lexi did though, as the bottle was slippery and almost fell out of his hands.

'Well, I guess asking you not to drool would be too much, no?' he jested; Corso gave a short, reproachful bark, but laid down at Lexi's feet and magnanimously accepted a scratch between the ears as an apology.

'What is it, Master Gladius?' he asked, when the elf held out his cup for a re-fill. 'Has he finally come through on his eternal promises of sending you to the Hundred Pillars?'

'I…no, no,' Gladius shakily replied. 'It is just…'

His stare was not simply blank. It was haunted.

'He might, after this,' the elf sighed. 'But I do not know what else to do…who else to turn to…'

A million alarm chimes rang in Lexi's mind, but he did not get the chance to even hear them in full.

'If I were to ask you to…to…pass a message to Magistra Pavus, might you…be able…'

'Excuse me?' Lexi incredulously chuckled. 'Did you get drunk on so little that…'

The veil of deep sorrow that descended over Gladius' glance cut the joke short. Something ominous was looming, and he felt chills down his spine.

'I am not exactly on speaking terms with Veldrin, Gladius,' the human said, kindly. 'She might have helped me when you were in need, but…my betrayal of her, and her…her husband,' he followed, finding it hard to even speak Dorian's name, 'is still fresh. I am unsure that…'

'But you must try!' the elf pleaded, sounding close to tears. 'I have no means of reaching her, and if I even try, he will kill me. Perhaps I would deserve it, too, yet I cannot stand idly by…and…and…'

His voice died into a sob – not knowing whether the gesture would be welcome or not, but not being able to remain idle himself, when faced with such obvious pain, Lexi reached out and placed his hand on the other man's shoulder. Gladius was startled, as if he had been expecting a slap, but a glimmer of hope shone in the depth of his eyes; he did not withdraw from the touch.

Instead, he reached into the sleeve of his robes and extracted a rolled up, unsealed parchment; he once more set his glance to the floor.

'I cannot let you keep this, Altus Hadrian,' he whispered. 'Magister Cassius is in the command tent, and I have but a small hour before I need to return it. I beg of you, read it – if you do not see the same thing I did, I shall retire feeling a fool, but a relieved fool.'

'Alright,' Lexi nodded, taking his hand from the elf's shoulder to unroll the parchment.

Perhaps he is a…

Even his thoughts ground to a halt.

'Kevesh,' he breathed out. 'Who is he trying to kill with this? Me? You?'

'Then I am not a fool…'

'No, Master Gladius,' Lexi curtly replied, 'you most certainly are not a fool. You've read this correctly, it is a blood magic diagram that would, in theory, channel all the powers of that orb Cassius thinks he is hiding from everyone into one single vessel…But Cassius does not…'

The elf raised his sleeve to the elbow, to expose a forearm so scarred by blood-letting that not even an inch of healthy skin was left.

'You should see the rest of me,' Gladius softly spoke, still staring into the void. 'That is why I said I needed neither you nor Magistra Pavus that eve; he always heals me. He needs me. And, yes, he does do…blood magic. He is quite adept at it, too, to my eyes – but then, what do I know? I only have the half brain of an elf.'

Lexi felt his own, weakling, rage demon stir, not at the words, but at the complete resignation with which they had been uttered.

'It is not that I mind,' the elf followed, in the same lost and tear-laden voice. 'It is within the rules, and I was…am…a willing participant, yet I think…'

'What type is he?' Lexi asked; Gladius humourlessly snorted.

'Pride, what else?' he replied. 'I know you and Magistra Tilani hate him, I know that the entire House Pavus does, but I swear to you he was not always like he is now, Altus Hadrian. He was a good man, once, but then, little by little…You,' the elf whispered, 'all of you think me a madman for loving him so, but none of you knew the man he was before. He was a good man, the man who set me free, and I remember him thus, and though little of him remains, I cannot simply erase…'

'I understand,' the human nodded, simply. 'I am rage,' he awkwardly offered.

Gladius chuckled, in earnest, and for the first time since Lexi had laid eyes on him.

'I would have thought you would be lust,' he said, no harmful intent behind the words.

'Too slippery,' Lexi chuckled, in turn.

'I am despair,' Gladius offered, in turn. 'Though I think that is self-obvious.'

'A tad,' the Altus replied. 'He cannot force either of us to cast this, Master Gladius,' he soothingly said, then swallowed his next words.

That's not why he's here, Lexi realised, with sudden and blinding clarity. He would not care if he died, and he would care even less if I died. He's here because…

'He must understand that this will kill him,' the human said, biting his lower lip in thought.

'I did say Pride, did I not?' the elf snapped, then paled even further and hastily withdrew. 'I apologise, Altus Hadrian, I should not have raised my voice to you, if you feel that I have offended, then…'

'Then what are we going to do, my good man?' Lexi laughed. 'Walk into Magistra Tullius' tent and declared that I beat you up? Come on. You've not offended, be at ease and speak freely.'

Gladius swallowed dry, than drank his second cup of wine with as much haste has he had the first one.

'He does not understand that it will kill him.' He said, dryly. 'He thinks that if Magistra Pavus, who is but an elf, survived it, he will too.'

'Gladius…' Lexi sighed. 'Does it not occur to him, or to you, for that matter, that Vel might have survived the original Somnaborium precisely because she is an elf? Has he looked around himself, lately?' the human rhetorically questioned, standing up and beginning to pace. 'We've not experienced it in Minrathous, yes, but all the humans of the continent are supremely affected by even a weakened veil, while elves thrive. This magic was not intended for our use, this is the magic of your people…'

'And not even Vel would have survived the contact with the original elvhen Somnaborium if the so-called Enemy of all the Gods had not loved her enough to save her,' Lexi ended, shaking his head. 'Cassius is mad – and you, Master Gladius are here to plead with me for the life of a madman who has tortured me within an inch of my life, caused me to betray all I ever loved, and more importantly, tormented you for your entire existence!'

'If anyone can stop him, it is Magistra Pavus,' Gladius whispered.

'And why would she do that, pray tell?' Lexi exploded, throwing his arms open in utter fury. 'Do you even come close to comprehending the damage your master has caused to her life? To all of our lives, to…'

'Because you will ask her,' the elf said, for once lifting his eyes to the human's with stony determination.

'Will I? Fasta vass! Why would I do that?'

'Because you too are a good man,' Gladius smoothly replied. 'Do not allow the rage to take that from you, Altus Hadrian; pride has blinded my master, and despair has inhabited me all my life – the cost of it all…You can choose to pay it in full, but that is…'

The beginning of possession. The moment when the demon starts to take over, truly take over.

'I am asking – nay, begging you to be the good man you are,' the elf shakily followed. 'Not on behalf of the man Magister Cassius is today, but on behalf of the man he once was.'

Lexi crashed back in his seat, and not caring for the fact that Corso's drool still made the recipient slippery and squished between his fingers, he drank a huge mouthful, straight from the bottle.

'If he were dead you would be free,' he said. 'Truly free.'

'Can one be free from love, Altus Hadrian?' Gladius bitterly asked.

That too was rhetorical; Lexi pinched the bridge of his nose.

'Let's make a copy of that scroll,' he said. 'I need to go to Vel with something.'

'Manaveris Dracona!' Gladius whispered, tears of gratitude welling in his eyes. 'Thank you, Altus Hadrian, thank you, I…'

'Ma serannas,' the human replied.

'Excuse me?'

'That's one translation of it, yes,' Lexi tiredly spoke. 'It can, under specific lexical constructions be translated as excuse me, but the more common translation is thank you.'

'You speak the language of the slave race?' the elf asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

Lexi shook his head in disbelief of his own; there were many things he wished to say, but all of them might have given even his weakling rage demon satisfaction, and, as if he'd sensed that too, Corso was looking up at him and growling.

'I speak some Elvhen,' the human said, at long length. 'Perhaps, Master Gladius, you should start thinking about learning it too. You are an elf, after all.'

'Not doing this,' Dorian said, briskly spinning on his heels and briskly lifting the tent flap.

'Dorian,' Vel sighed.

'I just said no, alright? You've taken me to one reunion too many already, Vel. I'm not coming to this one.'

'I can just go,' Lexi offered, shifting uneasily in his seat, and not lifting his glance from the table. 'The message I delivered was intended for Vel, so now that it's been delivered…'

'And who asked you to deliver anything?' Dorian spat. 'Mae? Cassius? Shit! How do you trust this…individual, Vel?'

'Dorian,' she repeated, her eyes shooting lightning.

'I am not speaking to him!' the Magister acidly replied. 'The gall of him…How did the guards let him through?'

'Because I told them to,' Calpernia, who'd been standing behind Vel, evenly responded.

'Yes, then, maybe…' Dorian began, turning around in full. 'I should revoke your…'

'You can't, I am the Magistra's Altus, not yours,' Calpernia replied, arching an eyebrow, but otherwise remaining as immobile as a statue.

'Vel, Altus Calpernia…' Lexi uncertainly spoke. 'It is perfectly alright. I brought what I was asked to bring you, and there is no need…'

Veldrin shot him a glance worthy of Mae's worst ice spells. 'Yes, there is,' she cut him off. 'On any number of levels. And,' she followed, 'starting with the practical ones, there is this.'

She placed her index finger on a parchment and pushed it toward Dorian's side of the table, spinning it about as she so did.

'Read,' she commanded. 'And you, sit down,' she snapped, as Lexi gestured to push himself off his chair. 'You need him, and he needs you, so stop bloody fidgeting. Both of you. Dorian. You need to read this.'

Dorian sighed, then pulled a chair as far away from the table as the tent allowed, swiped the parchment off the table with a furious gesture, and settled down to read; much as Vel had expected, his expression softened half way through, then turned to complete alarm by the end.

In turn, Lexi stared at his own hands, and clenched them tightly together to keep them from trembling.

'So,' Dorian finally spoke, in such a cool and composed tone that it was blatantly theatrical, 'you've walked in here to do what, Altus Hadrian? Threaten suicide? I am sorry, the melodrama fails to impress...'

'It's not him that will be casting this,' Veldrin dryly replied.

'Then I am even less interested in it than I was one minute ago.' The Magister declared, standing and dropping the parchment on the table as if the vellum itself had been soiled.

'This is madness,' Lexi breathed out, briskly standing. 'I should not be here…'

'No, you should not,' Dorian answered – yet, for as cold and distant the exchange might have sounded, and as pointed the tension between them might have been, they were speaking to each other.

Progress, Vel thought, with an inward sigh. I wonder if Dorian is even noticing the fact that he's effectively blocking Lexi's way out…

'Listen, you two,' she began, 'once you get over your respective strops, your wits return from wherever they are wandering, and we can all return to being intelligent, I think this diagram is worthy of some serious consideration. Lexi, I know that you are doing this for Gladius…'

'That's a new one!' Dorian exclaimed. 'Oh, wait, actually it's not! Did you not use Gladius to weasel yourself close to Vel but a month ago? Eh?'

'He begged me to bring you this,' Lexi answered, shaking from all his joints. 'I could not, in good conscience…'

'It's amazing that you have a conscience, let alone a good one,' the Magister icily returned. 'I still don't know why this would be of any importance to me; if Gladius wants to kill himself with it, I wish him good luck. If Cassius wants to kill himself with it, then, even better…'

'I think both of you are missing a what if, there,' Veldrin intervened.

'Yes? And what might that be?' Dorian quipped, in irritation.

'What if he doesn't kill himself?' Calpernia calmly put in, in Vel's stead.

The two men exchanged a glance that was just a tad less hostile; it was Lexi who frowned, and turned towards his former lover's wife.

'Is there a chance of that?' he asked.

'I survived a similar device,' Vel shrugged.

'You would not have survived it for too long,' Dorian smirked. 'And Morrigan seems quite certain that the orb will kill whomever activates it…'

'Yes, but Morrigan did not know about the fact Cassius is pactizing with a Pride demon. And they are resilient - the damage Cassius could do if he survives it for even ten minutes would be immense. Solas petrified an entire division of the Beresaad and the Viddashala in an eyeblink, and he didn't even look their way.'

'Cassius isn't Solas.'

'Alrighty then, let's gamble on that,' Veldrin muttered. 'Of course he's no Solas. He is no Corypheus either, but if this thing does not instantly pulverise him, I think we will be in a world of trouble.'

'So, excuse me, what exactly do you think I can help you and…him with?' Dorian asked. 'Making sure that Cassius doesn't die, or making sure that he does?'

'I do not think anyone here present is too keen on his survival,' Calpernia evenly intervened.

'Except for unfortunate Master Gladius,' Lexi sourly responded. 'And he, incidentally, is skilled enough to spot any modifications to this casting diagram that would render it more dangerous to Cassius than it already is.'

'True,' Vel thoughtfully said, tapping her fingers on the table. 'That does not mean we should not have a counterspell, just in case – not that I mind him going out in a blaze of glory, but consider the explosion at the Conclave. If he just does this, it will wipe out half the camp. And no, before you ask, Solas cannot help– this is Tevinter magic, pure as it comes, with a hefty side dish of blood magic. Besides…'

She sorrowfully gazed at her left ring finger, and Dorian did not need much to complete her thoughts.

'Besides, you still don't trust him,' the man neutrally spoke.

'Not fully, no,' she shrugged in response. 'There is something terribly off with how fast his magic is progressing, and I shall not gamble on it as he gambled on Corypheus…His capability for uthenara has returned in full, and I am unsure what else Lady Mystery returned to him – no, I am in agreement with his grace Radonis on this, we should not let him near that orb until the very last second.'

'So, essentially, you want me and Cassius' altar boy here to work on a counterspell to this?' Dorian mumbled. 'I can barely stand the sight of him.'

'Yes, well, life sucks,' Veldrin decisively said, ignoring Lexi's pleading, desperate glance. 'Should I leave Altus Calpernia here, to chaperone, or do you think you can manage? Acting like grown-ups?'

'I see what you're doing,' her husband menacingly said, 'and I can assure you…'

'I think you should start by looking at how to modify barrier; you've done that before with Mae, on Seheron. You know, after you asked me to be your practical little sprite? Lexi was always going to be a part of this, so, the sooner the two of you get on civilised terms with each other, the better.'

'Part of what?' Lexi asked, eyes widened in surprise. 'I was never told…'

'Now, you have been,' Vel said, shrugging once more. 'Dorian will explain - I have some letters to write and some people to see, so I shall leave you to it. See you in the morning, Amatus,' she ended, insinuating herself past her husband, after giving him a kiss on the cheek.

'You'll pay for this,' he grumbled, in defeat.

'Yes, yes…Altus Calpernia, if you please.'

The female Altus followed her Magistra out of the tent, gliding like a ghost. They did manage some fifty yards of distance, before Calpernia unexpectedly chuckled.

'There is no counterspell to devise, is there, Magistra Pavus?'

'Nope,' Vel replied, chuckling in turn. 'If Cassius tries that diagram, he'll burn faster than a dry evergreen branch on a roaring oak fire, pride demon or no pride demon at his side. He won't even have time to say what the…'

'You're sure?' the Altus insisted.

'So the Gods spoke,' Veldrin said, smiling wryly. 'So it shall be. If Dorian were not so flustered by Lexi's presence he would remember that we still hold Andoral's shield as well, and that alone should contain any explosion, but…'

'I see,' Calpernia laughed. 'Or well, he might remember it, yet it did look to me as if the lord Pavus did protest a bit too much.'

'That's what it looked like to me too,' Veldrin nodded, and both women turned about to sneak a glance at the tent they'd just left. Indeed, Dorian and Lexi had sat down together, three chairs away from each other, granted, but nonetheless together…

'It's also that…' the elf thoughtfully began, 'the illusion that a counterspell does exist may lessen Gladius' propensity to jump onto the pyre with his master.'

She turned to fully face Calpernia.

'You were the only person he asked for, when…Forgive me if you find me intrusive, but are the two of you, somehow…?'

'No,' the human answered, shaking her head. 'And I fear that I am…Would you spare me a moment, before you go and see people?'

'Not if we start on the diphthongs again, good Gods,' Vel replied, with a wink. 'What may I help you with?'

'Ease my heart a little, perhaps.' Calpernia hesitantly spoke. 'I've not apologised to you, and I feel that I must.'

'Nothing to apologise for, other than your maddening obsession with diphthongs,' the elf shrugged.

'That is very courteous of you, but it is a very courteous lie, and we both know it. I fear I might be long winded, thus…'

'Trying to weasel your way out already?' Veldrin joked. 'It's perfectly alright, Altus Calpernia; I was going to stand out here for a while longer and keep an eye on those two anyway.'

'Alright,' Calpernia said, before drawing a deep breath. 'I am, I fear, even lower in Gladius' good books that you are. Clearly lower than Altus Hadrian in any event.'

She looked away for a moment.

'I did go and visit Gladius, after the…the incident.' She evenly said. 'I, however, pushed him to defy Cassius far more than you did, and by doing so, I've placed myself squarely in the opposite camp…I joined Lord Corypheus for one reason, and one reason only, Magistra Pavus: to obtain for myself, and all my fellow Liberati the very thing yourself and Lord Pavus offered me in a heartbeat. I remember the love I felt I dutifully owed my former master, my gratitude to him once he granted me freedom, but once I was free, I saw one door shut in my face after another.'

'I learned that freedom, by itself, was just a word, if the rights associated with it are never given…I learned that what will not be freely given must be fought for, and so I joined…'

'The wrong side, for all the right reasons, Calpernia,' Veldrin said.

'Gladius is still blind to that.' The human mage said, with bile in her voice. 'I told him as much, and he all but called me a traitor, though, in truth, my cause was his, too. I am still human, however, and he has been so browbeaten to think himself below us, that nothing seems to change his mind. I regret my loss of temper with him, I further regret the words I spoke to him on that day, and I can only express my gratitude to you and Altus Hadrian for not abandoning him, though the Eternal Gods know…'

She sighed and shook her head.

'It would seem that I am not a very good judge of character. Nor a very good friend, nor a good person in general, as I wish Cassius dead with every fibre of my being. As I once wished you dead. I am sorry for the latter, not for the former.'

'You do not need to apologise,' Vel said, softly but decisively. 'You knew nothing of me, and we were at war – war,' she followed, dreamily echoing Solas' words, 'breeds a great need for simplicity…'

'Yes, but perhaps herein lies the rot in all of us. I cannot speak for you, but I once hated you for no reason; if it were within your power, would you spare Magister Cassius? As you spared Samson, as you…'

'No,' Vel drily responded. 'If that makes me an evil person, you've picked the right company.'

Both bitterly smiled, and a few seconds passed before either spoke again.

'I am glad that I have chosen you for my patron, Magistra Pavus,' Calpernia said, a playful light in her steel grey eyes.

'I am glad you chose me, too,' the elf responded.

Well, well, well,

Doth Magister Pavus protest too much? Shall we see some dragons next?

Who knows!

Thank you for reading and commenting,

Abstract & IvI