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The room was silent save the soft sound of rain pattering against the window. Neve tried to focus on the sound, urging her mind into a hypnotic state that might lull her to sleep.
It was little use.
Her right hand curled into the cool sheets occupying the empty space beside her. Rook had been absent for twenty-five days. Even their stint in the fade prison had been shorter.
There was little to fear, of course; Neve knew exactly where Rook was. Or, at least, whereabout. They’d left over three weeks ago to eliminate the remaining leaders of a slaver’s rebellion that had erupted after Maev had criminalized the practice. Given Rook’s abilities, Neve wouldn’t hesitate if asked whether they could handle it. Even here, in the silence, her confidence didn’t waver. The task paled in comparison to everything Rook had overcome in the past.
It wasn’t her nerves that kept her awake. It was sleeping in a bed only partially occupied.
It was drinking coffee alone in the mornings, warming bath water for one, and reading on the couch without the warmth of her partner nearby.
It was loneliness.
Six years ago, Neve would’ve been mortified if she saw her like this. That version had thrived in loneliness. It was a knife hovering near her back, reminding her that danger was around every corner. That Neve felt worldly and wise for believing that trust was always misplaced.
Light caught on the gold ring that rose and fell with every breath. They’d chosen to wear them on gold chains around their necks, both worried that wearing them on their fingers risked losing them in a firefight.
Neve’s hand came to rest on it, fingers tracing its delicate shape. It was strange to see her old self as naïve; so plagued with grief and trauma that she’d believed loneliness gave her an edge. It wasn’t until she’d walked beside another that she realized the benefit of someone building you up, challenging your biases, and easing your fears.
When they fought together, there was an unspoken harmony to the way they moved. They flowed together, anticipating each other’s moves and intercepting the enemy when the other faltered. They were – as cheesy as it sounded to even think such a thing – two halves of a single whole. A step in her evolution that Neve had not expected.
Her chest rose sharply as memories of their battle rhythm sharply shifted, her mind now awash with images of their bodies intertwined.
Her eyes slipped closed as she recalled the last time they were intimate. Neve’s hands fingers gripped at the tight muscles of Rook’s back, her legs wrapped tightly around their waist as her wife rocked into her. Lips and teeth trailed fire down Neve’s throat, her head thrown back as a name only uttered in private slipped free from her lips:
Erelis.
Steeling herself, Neve tried in vain to focus on the rain once more. It wouldn’t do to dwell on Rook’s absence, however difficult it had become. They were expected back in two days. Their home would be filled with the sounds of Rook’s feet padding softly across the hardwood, their fingers dancing across pages as they lounged on the couch, and the whistle of the kettle as they made coffee.
Her body relaxed at the thought, her mind lulled into a trance by the Minrathous lullaby.
Two more days.
The rain had slowed to a drizzle by the time Neve left her house the next morning. Neve locked the door to their apartment before setting out towards her agency’s office.
After defeating Elgar’nan and ending the blight, the Grey Wardens had declared their contract with the Crows fulfilled and paid the fee their forebearers had agreed on decades before. Teia, brooking no argument, had insisted Rook and their team receive a lion’s share of the reward. Rook used their share to purchase a two-bedroom apartment – the one they now called home –, allowing Neve to use her share to purchase an office for her and Rana’s new agency.
Spotting it in the distance, she took in the aged stone of its base, the vines creeping up the sides, the green and red banners heavy from the rain, and the less-than-subtle Shadow Dragon graffiti adorning the side. The inside was three stories: the first floor served as a waiting room of sorts, with two plush chairs, a rug, and bookcases bursting with Neve’s collection. The second was where Rana and Neve worked, their desks facing each other from opposite sides of the room. Like the first floor, bookcases stuffed with books, scrolls and files lined every inch of the walls. And finally, on the third floor, was where their team worked. Three smaller desks were crammed into the space, but they didn’t seem to mind. Neve often overheard laughter or excited whispers as they worked together to solve cases. The third floor also had a ladder to the roof, which housed their rookery and an assortment of plants Rana tended. Or, rather, the team tended when Rana asked.
As she neared the door, hand coming to rest on the handle, she heard the muffled sounds of Rana and her team as they spoke happily. While their comradery was hardly a surprise, it was strange for them to all be standing in the waiting room so early in the morning. Rana typically pulled messages from the rookery the moment she got in, reviewing their contents with the team and updating cases accordingly.
As her thumb pushed down on the latch, she heard a fifth voice: Rook’s.
Neve’s breath caught in her throat.
The voice was unmistakably her partner’s, but the energy was wrong. The marriage between a Tevinter detective and an Antivan Crow was not without its paranoia, and Rook and Neve had gotten very good at reading each other’s magical signatures. Where a normal mage – friend or stranger – would sense the general energy of another mage’s magic, they’d learned to sense each other in a sea of magical noise. After Solas had implanted the image of Varric in Rook’s mind, they both swore to never be caught unaware again.
However uncanny, whoever was inside was not Rook.
Neve brought her free hand up to grip her scepter before pulling the door open. Before her stood Rana, their team, and the doppelganger. Neve’s eyes worked quickly, raking over every inch of the intruder. Whoever – or whatever – they were, they’d captured Rook’s essence perfectly. Neve could make out the faintest of scars, recreated as though they’d duplicated her wife.
Eyes turned towards her as she entered, joyful smiles brightening as they took her in.
“Neve!” Rana laughed, bringing her hands to rest on her hips. “You shouldn’t have slept in! Rook was hoping to surprise you.”
Neve’s eyes remained fixed on the doppelganger, her ears barely registering her partner’s words. In turn, the doppelganger stared back almost lazily, their head tilting as their eyes became slits.
The atmosphere sobered instantly, the team taking notice of Neve’s hand on her scepter. Taking a small step back, Rana’s eyes darted between Neve and the doppelganger.
“Neve?” Rana began nervously. “What’s going on? Why are you-“
The doppelganger rested a hand on Rana’s shoulder and chuckled. “It’s okay, Rana,” they smiled, “Neve’s just ruined the surprise.”
Before Rana could respond, her body recoiling from their touch, the air became oily. Breathing was considerably harder, and Neve felt as though she were inhaling water. Her legs grew heavy, and her mind seemed to split; a feeling of dissociation as her body seemed to move in two directions at once.
Gasping for air, Neve blinked rapidly as she tried to right her mind. Her grip on her scepter tightened as she stumbled backwards, her back colliding with the door.
“We’d hoped to avoid involving your friends, but it seems there’s no choice,” the doppelganger sighed. Pulling a knife from their leathers, they examined the blade before bringing it to Rana’s neck. “All you had to do was be a little less nosey and a little more punctual.”
Adrenaline pumped through Neve’s veins and she willed herself to focus. Swallowing the hot bile in her mouth, she screwed her eyes shut and grasped wildly for her magic.
The doppelganger hesitated as though its interest had been piqued. “You are rudimentary beings, incapable of understanding our depths. Struggle if you like, but-“
Their eyes widened as a thousand shards of ice flew forward, carving through the oil to reveal clean air. Before they could react, the ice slammed into the doppelganger, their body flying backwards and through the window.
As the glass shattered, the spell followed; Neve, Rana and their team all stumbled as the strange magic released them, the air clearing of the oily texture. Seeing them all gasp for air was evidence they were alive, which was enough for Neve. Still struggling to find her equilibrium, Neve threw the door open and rushed outside. Sprinting around the corner, she watched as the doppelganger picked itself up.
Bright blue blood leaked from its chest and it scowled, wiping a hand over its mouth. Spotting Neve, it turned and ran. Neve gave chase.
Despite its wounds, the being was fast. It didn’t fade step like Rook, but the distance between it and Neve grew rapidly. To make matters worse, it yanked at vendor tables as it ran, obstructing Neve’s path.
As it rounded a corner, Neve cursed under her breath; the area ahead was densely populated and riddled with twists and turns. If she lost sight of them for even a moment, it was unlikely she’d catch up.
Her fears were confirmed as she rounded the corner; there were a dozen alleyways before her. She kept her pace, slowly briefly to check each path as went. She caught the tail of a purple cape slipping around a distance turn and she rushed after it, silently hoping she’d made the right choice.
Before she could make it halfway down the alleyway, however, there was an explosion of sound. Smoke billowed forward, and Neve hunched over, arms thrown up to protect her eyes. Squinting, she inhaled sharply as the doppelganger was flung backwards, its body colliding with a brick wall before falling heavily to the pavement below.
Eyes trained on the would-be assassin, Neve couldn’t help the faint smile that tugged at her lips. Electricity danced across the clouds of dust and smoke, a soft hum emanating from around the corner. Even without these tells, however, Neve would know that energy signature anywhere.
“How did Varric put it?” Neve chuckled. “You’re always at the center of the weirdest shit.”
A figured bathed in gold light stepped into view. Their body so awash in magical energy that one might think the Fade had ripped open.
“Old habits and what not,” Rook smiled, relief evident in their gaze. “Not sure how I feel about the look of this one, though.” Using their boot, they kicked the doppelganger onto its back. Neve gasped as they did; Rook’s visage was gone. In its place was a blank surface. The skin was like stone; a smooth rock with rivets that formed a spiral where facial features would normally be.
Bright blue blood – or, rather, lyrium – leaked from its chest. Rook rested their foot against the being’s throat, applying the slightest of pressure. Despite the being’s lack of a mouth, it spoke.
“The game is alive, the plan does not yield.”
Before either Rook or Neve could react, the being’s arm shot up to stab Rook in the leg. Just as the tip of the blade neared their leather of their trousers, there was a flash of light and a loud clank. The being’s dagger clattered to the ground. As Rook crushed the doppelganger’s throat, Neve’s eyes followed the path of the projectile that protected her wife.
“All you hero types are the same,” a rich Rivani accent groaned from the shadows. As the stranger stepped forward, light bounced off the gold adorning their body. “First Hawke finds that bloody idol and that nasty knight commander turns herself into a ghoul statue. Now I’m saving your asses from weird rock people.”
“I owe you, Isabela,” Rook replies, a hint of humor in their voice as the gold light engulfing them fades. Turning towards Neve, their face softens. “Are you okay?”
“Physically,” Neve shrugs as she straightens and steps towards them. “Though I’m not sure what I would’ve done if I caught them. They nearly killed Rana.”
“Is she…?”
“Fine,” Neve nods. “She’ll probably be here any moment.” She stares at the lyrium coating the pavement below the being before looking up.
“I’m guessing this is all related,” Neve continues as Isabela moves to stand over the being’s remains. “This creature, your early return and Isabela.”
“I heard whispers in the fade,” Rook replied, nodding. “They didn’t make sense, but it was clear something was happening. I was rushing through the crossroads when I ran into Isabela.”
“As fate would have it, I was actually coming to see both of you,” Isabela supplies. “One of these things attacked us at The Hilt.”
“What?” Neve exclaimed, eyes widening. “Was it also disguised?”
“Yes,” Isabela replied, eyes hardening. “As Taash.”