LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 6: Chapter 6
Holli kept to herself over the next couple of days, barely leaving the little house they'd given her the use of. She had gone through her things, found her phone. Dead, of course. She had eyed her stash of junk food, resisted the temptation to eat it.
The little house had books, none of which she could read. Though their spoken language was the same for the most part, their written language was not apparently. This dream had turned into a nightmare. She loved to read and learn; now a whole new world of books, and she couldn't understand a word in them.
Varric had come to visit, check in on her. She had plastered on a smile and assured him everything was fine; she was just tired from... everything. Given the 'everything' she was going through, it was understandable, even if it wasn't entirely true.
She just... didn't know what to do. She was lost. The more time passed, the harder it got to believe she would wake up in her own world. She didn't like this place. There was no toilet, no indoor plumbing, no shower, no electricity. A maid had been assigned to her, a young elven woman who called Holli 'my lady' no matter how many times Holli asked her not to. Her name was Rythal, and she was super helpful. She'd drawn Holli a bath, and Holli had sunk into it, completely submerged herself. She had sort of considered trying to drown herself; maybe dying here would wake her up back at home. But she couldn't be sure, and dying to find out seemed a little risky. Rythal also brought her food and lit the fire when it went out. The woman was a Godsend.
It was on her third day of near isolation that Cassandra had come to the little house to fetch her, finding Holli sitting on the floor with notes scattered all over. Holli had written down everything she remembered about how she had come to be here—the attack at her school, the green light. It was still so fragmented, and full of holes. She had started writing down theories as well—some more coherent than others—and ideas on how she might get home. She had written down everything she knew about the multiverse theory. She doubted it applied here, but just in case... There was also the hope that once she closed the Breach properly, whatever force landed her here would be done with her and return her home, unmarked. She clung to that hope.
"What is this?" Cassandra asked, picking up one of the papers Holli had torn from her refill pad.
"Just ideas. Notes," Holli replied, plucking the paper out of her fingers.
"That is your language?"
"You can't read it?"
"No."
"I can't read your language either," Holli sighed.
"Word is you've holed yourself up in here for days."
"I'm acclimatising," she replied defensively, earning a sceptical look from the other woman. She had needed this time to absorb and come to terms with her new situation.
"Come, we need to discuss our next steps."
"I just assumed you would point me in a direction and send me on my way."
"We'd at least like to offer you the illusion of choice," she replied drily, offering her hand down to her.
Holli took it and let Cassandra easily pull her up. Before they stepped outside, Holli pulled on her jacket, hat, scarf, and snow boots. She wasn't setting foot outside without them.
Cassandra cast her an amused look. "You don't much like the cold, I take it."
"Who does?"
Holli followed her outside and to the Chantry. The little town was alive, no more awed gawkers as she passed by. Sort of. They just weren't all lined up to watch her at least.
Inside the Chantry it wasn't that much warmer, but they were out of the biting wind. She took her hands out of her pockets, shaking out the glowing one. It was almost a constant feeling of pins and needles. It bugged the hell out of her at times.
"Does it trouble you?" Cassandra asked, more gently than she'd ever spoken to her before.
"A little. But it's not killing me, so..." She offered a tremulous thumbs up.
"We take our victories where we can. What's important is that your mark is now stable, as is the Breach. You've given us time, and Solas believes a second attempt might succeed provided the mark has more power. The same level of power used to open the Breach in the first place. That is not easy to come by."
"What harm could there be in powering up something we barely understand?" She drawled sarcastically.
"Hold on to that sense of humour."
The pair reached the room at the end of the Chantry apparently reserved for their little meetings. It was different now than when she'd been here last. Roderick was gone for one. And the table had massive maps rolled out on it. There were other people in the room, but Holli was drawn to the maps, leaning over them, staring at them. They didn't look familiar. Part of her had wondered, if this were all a dream, the worlds might bear a resemblance to a book she had read or a game she had played. Nothing. She couldn't read the words on them either.
"You've met Commander Cullen, leader of the Inquisition's forces," Cassandra said, drawing her attention away from the map.
Yeah, she remembered—the hot guy.
"It was only for a moment on the field; I'm pleased you survived."
Holli offered a beaming smile. "That makes one of us."
Her half joke fell flat, drawing looks from the others, and she felt the awkward need to explain.
"I'm not suicidal. I just... you know, hoped—maybe if I die here, I'll wake up where I belong..." She trailed off.
Besides, jokes about dying were pretty common where she came from.
"Perhaps you do belong here now." Leliana, if Holli remembered correctly.
"Of course you know Sister Leliana."
Sister?
"Are you a nun?"
"Nun?"
"A church woman; married to God, vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience..." Holli explained.
"No, not a nun. My position here involves a degree of-"
"She is our spymaster," Cassandra interrupted.
"Yes, tactfully put, Cassandra."
"And this is Lady Josephine Montilyet, our ambassador and chief diplomat."
"A pleasure, Lady Whitlock."
"Holli's fine," she said, grimacing at the title. "Nice to meet everyone." She supposed.
"I mentioned that your mark needs more power to close the Breach for good," Cassandra said.
"Which means we must approach the rebel mages for help," Leliana said.
"And I still disagree," Cullen said. "The Templars could serve just as well."
"We need power, Commander," Cassandra sighed. "Enough magic poured into that mark—"
"Might destroy us all. Templars could suppress the Breach, weaken it so-"
"Pure speculation," Leliana cut him off.
"I was a Templar. I know what they're capable of."
"What is a Templar in this world?" Holli asked.
Cullen explained the Templar Order to her—their duty to hunt abominations, apostates, maleficar, and to watch over Circle mages. He'd had to go on a few tangents to explain what all those things were.
If she was in for a lengthy stay here, there was a lot about this world she would probably need to know.
"So the options are to funnel a whole heap of magical energy into me—into my hand—and hope I don't explode, or get a bunch of guys who can weaken the Breach enough I can close it on my own?"
"Basically," Cullen said.
"I think I'd prefer the Templars then, and since it's my hand, I feel like I should get the most say in this..."
"We don't even know if it would work," Leliana reiterated.
"Can we at least try it first? Exploding doesn't sound like a very nice way to go."
"It is a moot point; neither group will even speak to us yet," Josephine told them. "The Chantry has denounced the Inquisition—and you, specifically."
Holli couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face. "I've pissed off an entire church!? So, have I been declared an official enemy of the Church?"
"Don't look so happy about it," Cullen said.
"Sorry," she said, still grinning. She was trying to stop.
"Why are you so happy about it?" Cassandra asked, irritated.
"How big is the church? Is it worldwide? Will I have 'wanted' posters out about me? I know it's probably not a good thing, but it's kind of amazing. One day I'm getting murdered, the next I'm here, public enemy number one."
"Those holes in you, when we found you... Someone had tried to kill you?" Cullen asked softly.
The question drained her good humour. Her words had slipped out without her giving it much thought. She probably should have.
"Sometimes kids just sort of... lose it, for reasons, then come to school and start killing their classmates. We have these weapons in my world—"
She stopped herself. There really wasn't any need to go there. They had bows and arrows; Varric had a crossbow. No need to give them the idea of guns.
"It doesn't matter," she shook off the thoughts. "I'm here now, for better or worse. I'll deal with all that other stuff when I get home."
Maybe she'd need a therapist. Surely they made those things available to survivors of school shootings.
"So why does the church—"
"Chantry," Leliana corrected.
Same thing. "Why does the chantry hate me?"
"Some are calling you the 'Herald of Andraste.' That frightens the Chantry. The remaining clerics have declared it blasphemy, and we heretics for harbouring you."
"Who is Andraste? Varric mentioned them the other day too."
"I'll get you some books; I suspect there is much you'll need to catch up on."
"No point; I can't read them."
"You're illiterate?" Cullen asked.
"No," she replied defensively. "I just can't read your language."
"I'll find someone to teach you," Josephine told her.
"Why are people calling me this anyway?" She asked.
"People saw what you did at the temple, how you stopped the Breach from growing," Cassandra replied. "They've also heard about the figure in the rift when we first found you. They believe that was Andraste."
"Even if we tried to stop that view from spreading—"
"Which we have not," Cassandra interrupted Leliana again.
"The point is, everyone is talking about you."
"Do they know I'm not from here? If we put the word out, someone out there might know how to get me home, right?"
"We have kept your origins to ourselves for now," Leliana told her hesitantly. "It is a rather... far-fetched tale, and the deck is already stacked against us."
"More far-fetched than a hole in the sky?"
"A child from a world no one even knows exists? We have naught but yours and Solas's word it's even true. Admittedly, your clothes and manner of speaking are strange and foreign, but it's hardly proof enough."
"How could I possibly prove it? My phone is dead, and I didn't bring my laptop."
Pictures and tech from her own world might help, but there was no way to show them since they were all digital. She had a couple of her books in her duffel, but they were all in English, not their gibberish. The photos could help, though. A couple of them were medical books—the Atlas of Human Anatomy and one on basic pathology. While she was still years away from uni, she still had an interest in the medical field and liked to learn about it. It couldn't hurt to get a jump start on things. She also took regular first aid courses when they were available.
"That's the point. There is no way to prove it. Your clothes and manner could be explained away as simply being of a foreign nation," Josephine told her.
"We feel it's for the best to keep your origins secret lest people start questioning your—and our—sanity. It will only hurt our reputation."
Holli huffed out an irritated breath. "Whatever. What about finding a way home? Where are we on that front?"
"No closer, I'm afraid," Leliana told her. "Our priority has been the Breach, and establishing the Inquisition."
Holli glared at them. She was starting to get the feeling they weren't going to be much help in finding her a way home, not while they needed her. And once they no longer needed her, why bother helping her? She might have to figure out her own way home.
"Look, to some, you are a sign of hope; we want to use that to our advantage," Leliana said. "To others, you are a symbol of everything that's gone wrong."
She was the one in a world not her own, with a glowing magical crack on her hand and a hole in the sky she was expected to close. How was she the problem? From her side, she was dragged into this mess against her will.
"Shouldn't they be more focused on the stupid Breach? It's more a threat than I am," she huffed.
"They do know it's a threat; they just don't think we can stop it," Cullen told her.
"The Chantry is telling everyone you'll make it worse," Josephine clarified.
"Do we know I won't?" She asked, looking at each one of them. This was uncharted territory.
Their silence was telling.
"There is something you can do," Leliana offered, a slight change of subject.
Holli was pretty sure she wasn't going to like it.
"A Chantry cleric by the name of Mother Giselle has asked to speak to you."
"Why? Could it be a trap?"
Leliana looked amused by the question. "I understand she is a reasonable sort. Perhaps she does not agree with her sisters? She is not far from here and knows those involved far better than I. Her assistance could be invaluable. You'll find her tending to the wounded in the Hinterlands near Redcliffe."
Holli looked to the map. "Where's that?"
Commander Cullen was the one to point it out for her.
"And where are we?"
His finger slid across the paper to a point in the mountains.
"Oh fuck me that looks like a long way away," she muttered.
"Language," Cassandra scolded. "And yes, a few days on foot."
Foot. Of course. Because it would be ridiculous to hope for planes, trains, or cars. She supposed if people wanted to get anywhere quicker, they probably used horses. Holli preferred foot. She didn't trust horses. She'd seen a few YouTube videos of people getting thrown, kicked, and trampled by them.
"Look for other opportunities to expand the Inquisition's influence while you are there," Cullen said, talking to Cassandra rather than her.
Once they started talking about logistics, Holli slipped out of the room, Cassandra noticing and letting her know they would leave tomorrow morning. Holli nodded and left, slipping her beanie back on once she was outside. She hadn't explored much of Haven, though it didn't look like there was much to explore given its size. Still, a walk and fresh air might do her good. It all still felt so... surreal. She didn't entirely believe it was real yet; maybe she never would. How could she?
She took the other path, the one that didn't lead to the house she was using. She shoved her hands into her pockets for warmth. Her gloves had been bloodstained, and she'd put them in a plastic bag along with the other bloodstained clothes. Out of sight, out of mind. All that blood had been hers.
She didn't usually have an issue with blood; she couldn't if she wanted to get into the medical field. Surgeon was one path she had been considering. But her own blood, and so much of it, and recalling how it got there... it was easier to pretend it had never happened.
She paused in her step when she saw Solas standing nearby, out in the open, his gaze directed at the Breach.
"'Sup, Solas," she greeted, coming to stand beside him.
How he could stand to be practically barefoot, she didn't know. Magic?
"Ah, the Chosen of Andraste, a blessed hero sent to save us all," he said, his voice wry.
Though there had been a gentle teasing to it, she couldn't help the way she cringed at the title.
"Apologies," he offered lightly, noticing. "This still must be quite strange for you."
"I think I need a stronger word than strange. Unreal maybe."
"I assure you, it's very real."
"Easy for you to say."
"I suppose it is," he said, his gaze returning to the Breach. "How old are you, Holiday?"
"Holli. Fifteen."
She thought she caught a flash of pity in his eyes.
"How old are you?" She asked.
"I stopped counting long ago."
"I hear people start doing that after thirty," she mused. "You don't look very old. Is that because you're an elf? Are they immortal here?"
"No, no they're not. I thought you did not have elves where you come from."
"We don't, but we have stories and movies. Sometimes they're immortal, sometimes they just have longevity, and in some stories they age like humans. What are they like here?"
"Humans."
They lapsed into silence, watching the Breach. He seemed to be lost in thought; she got the feeling he did that a lot.
"Solas?" She asked softly.
He looked down at her in silent question.
"My best chance at getting home is magic, right?"
There was no branch of science they'd discovered that could do the trick?
"If it is possible at all, magic is your only chance."
"Do you think it's possible that once I close the Breach, whatever brought me here might send me back?"
"I don't know. Perhaps if I knew what brought you here..."
She nodded; it had been her hope he might have more concrete answers for her.
"I think I'm going to have to find my own way home. The Inquisition is too busy with the Breach to help me. Are there... books that might help? A specific school of magic I should start with?"
She felt like she was drowning a little. She didn't even know what she didn't know. She would have to start with learning the written language of course.
"Books, yes." He sighed. "I will stay then. Aid you how I can."
"Were you going to leave?"
"I am an apostate mage surrounded by Chantry forces, and unlike you, I do not have a divine mark protecting me. Cassandra has been accommodating, but you understand my caution."
His brows furrowed as he looked at her, the implications of her situation rearing their head again.
"Or perhaps you don't."
"If they try to do anything to you, I'll just refuse to close the Breach and the rifts," she shrugged.
A faint smile played at the corners of his lips. "You'd hold the world ransom for an apostate you barely know?"
"Absolutely. Two birds, one stone," she grinned. "It'll protect you and piss off the Chantry even more."
"You take issue with the Chantry already?"
"They took issue with me first."
Holli didn't trust religion at all. She'd seen the corruption, the bigotry, the way they hurt people in her own world. Yvette had been the victim of her own priest at her family's church. Maybe Holli was just biased, but she doubted this world had it figured out. Her and Curtis had tracked down the priest's home and totally trashed it—the outside. Eggs, toilet paper, spray painted 'Nonce' all over it. Yvette had been pissed but happy as well. She'd never told her parents; she'd never told anyone else. This was the only justice they could get for her. Every now and again over the years they'd gone back and done it again until he'd been transferred somewhere else.
"Thank you for staying, Solas. I promise, you won't regret it."
"It is not your responsibility to ensure it, Holli. Focus on more important things."
"Like getting out of this damn cold," she muttered. "We're heading to the Hinterlands tomorrow to meet someone. Are you coming with us?"
He gave a nod as he ushered her off. "I will. Now go get warm."
"Right. Laters, Solas."
Solas watched her tiny figure disappear around the corner. With her light pink hat and coat and rainbow-coloured scarf, she was the most colourful thing in this place.
When he'd met her on the mountain at the first rift, he'd been struck by such a sense of familiarity about her the moment he'd looked in her eyes. And it had happened again now. He was having difficulty pinning it down. Who did she remind him of?
And she was just a child... How did she get dragged into this mess? Someone was responsible for her presence here; he wanted to know who and why. In the vision from the Fade, Corypheus had seemed just as surprised by her appearance as Holli was. Solas didn't think he'd brought her here. But his attempt to use the orb had irrevocably altered her life. It had altered the world.
He would work with her; he would help her find a way home. Whether or not the mark could be removed, he didn't know, but he would try to find a way for that as well. Maybe he could alleviate some of his guilt if he could at least help this one person. One of the most important people in the world right now.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go.