Anri entered the Wycome Council War Room while Dorian was receiving updates from all the seated councillors.

  He walked around the table until he found his seat by Dorian's. Instead of sitting down, he leaned forward and unfolded his cloth map on the cleared part of the table.

  "Is that the map?" The dwarven merchant stood from his chair to eagerly stare over the tiny black dots marked all over the region. "By the Paragons! Please tell me those dots aren't those nug scum."

  "I received this by carrier this morning from, er, sources, and matched it up with signs I scouted yesterday." Anri gave a plausible lie that no one questioned. "It may not be completely up to date, but it's good enough."

  "Maker's breath! Combine this hidden force with what the prince is bringing, and this force..." The City Elf councillor gasped.

  "They'll completely decimate Wycome off the map," Anri finished for him.

  Dorian nodded as he rose and peered at the details with a finger stroking his chin. "The only thing stopping this hidden force from making a move is our holy prince's grand entrance."

  "So we evacuate the women and children on the boats to the safe zones." Another councillor suggested.

  Deshanna sighed and shook his head. He pointed to a cluster of black dots near one of the safe zones. "It seems they've been watching our preparations. If we move in, I'm sure they'll strike."

  Anri nodded and dropped the realism bomb that had all the councilors cursing and fretting. "This is the Venatori goal. If we move the vulnerable and children to the zones, they'll swoop in and take them."

  "Andraste! So what do we do?"

  "We have to neutralize the Venatori before the prince arrives."

  "That'll be in two days!" Another councilor began to panic.

  Dennerisan coolly entered the room. "Fear not, fellow councilors, our clan can tackle the vints at the safe zones. The city guards can maintain the security of the evacuation and choke points. Never forget that a lot of the guard are battle-hardened Inquisition soldiers who fought demons."

  He flashed Anri a cocky wink.

  Varric nodded. "Yes, and I can see if one of my connections can, er, organize a private message to Prince Vael to tell him the truth."

  The council was adjoined for the Wycome Shadow Sect to talk over other updates from Kirkwall.

  "Hawke, what's the update from Kirkwall." Dorian prompted a ravensky call.

  "Sera's lead proved fact. Shit, the venatori have been robbing elven kids in plan daylight. They take them from the docksides," Hawke said as he power-walked with Fenris and Sera next to him.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  They were making their way out of the city for the southern Sundermount paths, armed and ready for anything.

  "Leliana gave us a location to investigate. I have Fenris and Sera with me. Alistair and Fiona are tracking another path in the northern Sundermount region."

  "Elven children?" Dorian frowned.

  This fact made Deshanna and Dennerisan go tense.

  "Yeah. Not good. I fear we're definitely facing an Ash Hills. If they're geeing up our good friend Sebastian to be a distraction for Wycome kiddies, we have to stop them."

  "I can't believe what an idiot he is." Sera screwed up her face as she kicked at rocks during their walk.

  Fenris nodded. "He's, well, a man of one focus."

  Varric chuckled. "That he is."

  "Scout the area but don't take risks. Especially ensure you're not spotted. Report any static rifts to Leliana and give us all a layout. We have to plan this precisely. Need I remind you of the cost of rushing in like silly meatheads and sealing a necropolis of red lyrium-entombed children. That's if the corruption doesn't turn you into darkspawn first."

  "Ugh! Now you had to make it more creepier than it already is." Sera groaned.

  Anri cringed but agreed with the warning.

  "What?" Deshanna looked both puzzled and horrified by Dorian's metaphor.

  "I'll explain later." Anri promised him.

  Dorian looped Alistair and Fiona into the call once he let Hawke go. He updated them with the situation.

  "Maker! They're getting smarter these Tories. Here I thought they were just a club of pointy munchkin hats." Alistair shivered aloud.

  "What, you're getting scared of a bunch of munchkin mages? If they're smart, it's only to the level of your average deepstalker. And we have real-time communication no one in our world has."

  "Ew, I hate those things and they're everywhere in the Deep Roads."

  Fiona sighed, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand. "We'll also track these static rifts back to Leliana."

  Their call ended with the transition to Leliana who was staring at her disturbing wall map of messy pin points. Some clusters were beginning to overwhelm some corners of regions, most concerningly around the Ferelden capital.

  "Dorian, Anri I overlaid the map you gave me earlier with Alistair's version. I think I might have a fix on where the Venatori base is." She glared at the big black and white mess of dots near the lower-northeast cavern paths in Sundermount.

  They were notorious hiding spots for bandits due to the cavern mazes. Yet, what disturbed her most was the positioning of the dots being near what she recalled during her travels in the area as an entrance into the Deep Roads. If Red Lyrium was coming from an abandon thaig, the danger of corruption could be far worse than in Ash Hills.

  "If I'm not mistaken, they're near the Deep Road entrance at the northeast side of Sundermount."

  Varric closed his eyes, cursing the de ja vu. "Andraste's arse. Not this again."

  "Fuck!" Dennerisan didn't hide his concern and anger at elven children possibly being abducted to that place.

  Dorian heaved a troubled sigh and shook his head. "Hang on Leliana, I'm getting everyone in Kirkwall back on the line. We have to sort this out now and fast."

  The Kirkwall Agents discussed their plans and roles with Dorian who eventually let them go. Anri had to trust that they would destroy the Venatori operation in that area. His focus had to be on wiping out the group in theirs and within a day's timeframe.

  "Well, it seems we have our roles." Dennerisan looked at Dorian. "I'm taking my brother with me on the munchkin mage cleanup."

  Dorian nodded. "I'm coming with you. You need a mage to mop up your mess."

  "Ha, I've fought and won without magic so far. Raw brawn can save the day."

  "If saving the day doesn't require a brain."

  Anri's brows lifted with worry when he saw Dorian and his brother entering a battle of wits. He rose and began making his way out the door. "While you two stand around bickering, I'm going to kill a big tally of venatori."

  "I'm with you on that one." Varric rose, keen to unleash Bianca on those evil Tevinter bastards.

  Deshanna raised his brows when the men hurried after Anri. He decided to check on the clan and defense preparations.