They returned to camp as it neared sunset. Aside from the dredging up of her less than stellar feelings about her mother, it had been a pretty good afternoon. It was nice to wash off the day and spend time doing something a little less serious. It had helped to wash off the sweat and desert grime as well and get to know Harding's people a bit better too.
Back at camp she settled down to continue with the blueprints of the bike she was going to make. She was curious to see how it would turn out.
Cassandra took a seat beside her, offering a plate of dried meats and some fruit.
"Thank you," Holli murmured, setting the plate down beside her and nibbling at it as she drew.
"What is that?" Cassandra asked.
"A bike. Bicycle. We ride them to get from place to place quicker. I'm gonna try and make one."
"You're that uncomfortable with the horse?"
"I don't think the bike would be feasible for the distances and terrain we travel," she said. It certainly wasn't going to be a top-of-the-line thing. This was more for playing around in Skyhold. "But yes, I am that uncomfortable with the horse. And as soon as I figure out a way to replace it, I absolutely will."
Cassandra let out an amused huff of air. "Do they not have horses where you come from?"
"Horses are for rich people," she replied. "I've never even been close to one. You must like horses; being nobility, you must have had them."
"We did. We learnt to ride young. I neither like nor dislike them; they are practical. But I understand your caution; I've seen plenty of injuries. More often than not, it was rider error."
"That's not very comforting," she said.
"It wasn't meant to be. Just conversation."
Holli smiled to herself as she continued her blueprint. Cassandra was very... blunt. Badass warrior, but a little stunted in social aspects. Well, stunted was the wrong word. It was more like she didn't give a shit. Holli liked that about her.
After a few minutes and a few more bites, Holli set her work down.
"I'm still eating; I just need to go pee," Holli told her.
"Thank you for that announcement," Cassandra told her flatly.
"I just don't want you to assume I'm done."
It had happened before; she didn't want to go hungry. With the darkening sky, Holli took a torch out to find somewhere to pee. Somewhere far from camp where no one would come upon her. There was a watch and a patrol. She hated portaloos, but that would be a hell of a step up from behind a bush or a boulder.
When she thought she was a safe enough distance – still within screaming distance, of course – she crouched down behind a rock and relieved herself, taking some time to dry since there was no toilet paper. Another thing she hated about this place.
She stood up, did up her shorts, and picked up her torch to make her way back to camp. She made it all of five steps before a blinding pain erupted in the back of her head and everything went dark.
-
It happened so quickly, their camp being overrun with demons and Grey Wardens. No one had seen it coming. Solas always kept his staff close so he was not caught unarmed. They were outnumbered though, quite heavily. And it only took a few moments for him to realise he could see no sign of Holli. He'd last seen her at the campfire with Cassandra, so he fought his way to the warriors side.
"Where is Holli?" He demanded.
"She went to relieve herself," Cassandra replied, striking down one of the Wardens.
Solas encased a demon in ice, and Bull shattered it.
"Hopefully she's heard this mess and is keeping herself safe and hidden," Bull chimed in.
Solas wasn't so sure. And he had a sinking feeling in his gut that this attack was all about her. He'd seen the fanatical light in Erimond's eyes as he'd spoken of delivering her head to his master. Not to mention that he'd spoken of her ability to pass through the Fade thanks to the anchor. It was something Holli had not yet discovered for herself. Solas had hoped to keep it that way. Erimond might need that ability of hers. Especially as they were pulling demons from the Fade.
Solas once again lamented the loss of his full strength; this would be more akin to an inconvenience than a fight for his life and the lives of his companions. He needed to find Holli and ensure her safety, sooner rather than later.
When the dust finally settled, he'd hoped to see her come rushing in, ready to heal their injured. They had plenty of them. But there was still no sign of her.
"Holli!" Bull bellowed out, his booming voice carrying across the desert.
There was no answering call, no movement in the darkness.
"Shit," Bull sighed.
"We have to find her," Cole said, a tinge of panic in his voice.
Solas knew the pair had grown closer; their friendship had been noticed by most of Skyhold.
"Can you hear her?" Solas asked.
Perhaps she was unconscious or unable to vocalise. But Cole shook his head. Solas looked around; Harding's people were dealing with the injured and the bodies.
"Go, we'll manage here," Harding told them.
They didn't need to be told twice.
"I saw her go this way," Cassandra told them.
They followed her from the camp and into the darkness, Solas conjuring veilfire to light their way. They could see her footprints in the sand; at least they assumed they were hers. The sand didn't leave the cleanest imprints, but she had a one-of-a-kind tread on the soles of her shoes. They could see the faint diamond shapes.
They followed her prints to an outcropping of rocks she must have used for privacy. There were more prints – at least three other people. And there was blood in the sand, not a lot, but enough to be noticeable.
Bull crouched beside the small puddle of it; it was mostly dry, the centre still wet. He stood up, looking in the direction the tracks disappeared. There was no way to tell who the blood belonged to. Holli wasn't exactly defenceless, but if they'd taken her by surprise...
"If we hurry, we might be able to catch up with them," he said.
"We'd be faster on the horses," Cassandra suggested.
No one disagreed, and so they returned to camp to get the horses.
"Chances are they're taking her to Adamant," Bull said.
It went unsaid that if the Wardens got her there before they could intercept them, there was nothing they could do until Hawke arrived with their army.
They rode the horses as quickly as they dared, following the trail. When Adamant Fortress was in sight and they still hadn't caught up with them, they dismounted, trying to spot them from a higher vantage point. There was no sign of them, not that they could see by the light of the moon anyway.
"I'll go in and find her," Cole said. "They won't see me. And if they do, I'll make them forget."
"It's too dangerous, Cole," Solas told him. "It's possible they could bind you as they have been the demons. And while you can make them forget you, they'll still notice her. I fear we're too late."
Cole looked like he wanted to argue, his fists clenched and teeth gritted. "We can't leave her there. What if they hurt her? What if they kill her?"
"They might need her for something," Bull said. "There wasn't enough blood for them to have killed her."
"Not all deaths need your victim to bleed," Cole pointed out.
"Yes, but I was hoping you wouldn't realise that," Bull said.
Cole glared at him, the expression surprising Solas. Anger and irritation – these were not typically emotions he would associate with the boy. Perhaps his attachment to Holli ran a little deeper than he'd thought.
He wasn't happy about leaving her there either; it left him feeling ill. But the four of them were no match for an entire fortress of seasoned warriors and whatever demons they had already bound.
"There is little we can do right now, Cole. But Holli is a smart girl; she will find a way to stall or find a way to keep herself safe long enough. She knows Hawke is expected on the morrow."
There was truth in what he said, but it didn't make him feel any better about leaving her to fend for herself. Once Hawke arrived and learned they had Holli, they would surely assault the fortress sooner.
"We should return to camp," Cassandra said.
"I'll stay and watch," Cole said.
A look passed between the three adults that Cole didn't notice, so fixed on watching the fortress.
"I know you don't want to leave her there, but you mustn't enter the fortress alone," Solas told him. "Give me your word."
Cole shook his head. "If I see her, if I think I can get her out, I will," he said, very direct about it. "I'm going to climb higher and keep watch."
"I'll stay with the kid," Iron Bull told them. "If that opportunity arises, he won't be alone. And I'll greatly improve his chances of success."
Cassandra rolled her eyes but nodded, hoping he was joking about not stopping Cole. She and Solas returned to the horses, leaving Cole and Iron Bull with canteens of water. They would take the horses back with them; there was no water out here for them.
With a parting look towards the pair as they climbed higher up a cliff, Solas mounted his horse and rode away, one hand holding the reins to Sunchaser. He wanted to stay, but he also wanted to be there when Hawke arrived so he could ensure swift action. Leaving her there and returning to camp felt like betraying her, or at the very least, failing her. He had enough on his conscience without adding her to it.
Once back at camp, Cassandra filled Harding in on what was happening. Solas surveyed the camp. While the entirety of the attacking force had been killed, so had some of their scouts. Solas would help heal the injured. He certainly wasn't as incredible as Holli had become, but he was proficient. He moved to make his way over to them when something on the ground caught his eye. He crouched down to pick it up, recognising Holli's writing. He scanned the diagrams; there were measurements and notes. It was the bicycle she was going to make for him. She was following through with it; he'd thought it a joke. He felt his lips quirk upwards in a faint smile. He was curious to see how it turned out. He shook the thought off; it would serve no purpose to dwell on her. Best to focus on what he could affect.
It was a long night, and he wasn't able to save them all. And even when there was nothing to do, he knew he wouldn't find sleep. He packed up Holli's things instead, stowing them safely in her pack. He wasn't normally one to pry, but something in her pack caught his eye. It was a bright pink rectangle, so bright it was eye-catching. He took it from her bag, unzipping it. There were pens of various colours and other small implements he was unsure of. There was a narrow piece of card, and he pulled it out. It was a line of four photographs, as she'd called them. They were of her, and the two friends he recognised from the ones he'd seen in the Fade in the room she had created. They were in various poses or pulling ridiculous faces, but Holli looked happy and carefree. He truly hoped they would find her safe and unharmed.
He tucked the photograph away and put the case back in her bag.
It was a few hours after dawn that they heard the sounds of a massive force on the march. Solas was the first to move, able to spot them in the distance. Cassandra came to stand beside him, her brow furrowed as she watched them march. With a resigned breath, she headed towards them, steeling herself for the bad news she had to deliver. Solas walked with her.
When Hawke spotted them, he rode ahead with Fenris and Cullen.
"Maker's Breath, what's happened?" He sounded half amused as he asked it, but it quickly faded at the look Cassandra exchanged with Solas. "Fuck, what is it?"
"The Wardens attacked our camp last night. We lost people," Cassandra said. "And they took Holli."
"To Adamant?"
"Yes."
"Do we know if she's alive?" Cullen asked, his voice hard.
"No. Iron Bull and Cole are watching the fortress," Solas told him.
"If they haven't mounted their own assault," Cassandra muttered.
"Was that likely?" Hawke asked with a raised brow.
"It wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility," Cassandra begrudgingly admitted.
"All right, we march straight on Adamant," Hawke said through gritted teeth.