The elf waits until they're alone to speak again. "My message is from Karl." Beat. "Kind of."

The name thrills through Anders and his heart beats painfully in his chest. "You know Karl? Is he all right? What happened?"

"He's...fine for now. We think. But we need to move quickly. The Gallows are a mess. We need to get them out."

“Right, yes, of course,” Anders says, immediately grabbing his jacket. He slings his staff onto his back. “Do we have a plan?”

"Sort of. A...friend of mine is causing a distraction. To get Karl into the Chantry."

That gives Anders pause. "Why the Chantry? Why not the Wounded Coast?"

"Because my friend isn't certain how long the distraction will last. And- Karl's not alone. Child won't make it to the coast."

Anders could've laughed if he wasn't so scared for Karl. Both of them, adopting strays. Something meant to be in that.

"The Chantry will be well-guarded. This has to be quick and quiet," Anders thinks out loud.

"There's a cellar, and a back way in. C'mon."

"D- Anders?" Cia asks from the doorway.

"Stay here. Cia. Make sure everyone's settled," Anders says, squeezing eir shoulder as he passes em. "You too, Ilska."

Ilska clicks her tongue, narrows her eyes at his staff. "But-"

"I need you here to protect the patients and Cia, Ilska. I'll be fine."

"You better be," she mutters, but keeps her place by the door.

"I promise," he says, making sure Ilska sees how seriously he means that. 

He turns to the elf. "Lead the way."

She does, clearly having already plotted a route in her head for this. She's quiet until they're out of earshot.

"Protective children," she notes, leading the way through a grate that until she pulled it aside, looked very solid.

"We came from Ferelden together. We've become rather attached to each other," Anders says. "I didn't get your name before?"

"I didn't give it," she comments blithely. Pauses. "It's Raeli."

"Nice to meet you Raeli. Thank you for coming to find me."

"It was everyone's best chance."

"I've been trying to plan a way to get him out for months. I have to know how you did it."

"We'll explain everything once he's out. Up here."

Raeli scrambles up a crumbled set of stairs.

Anders nods his agreement and follows her.

And not too long after, they make it into the Chantry cellar. Raeli presses a finger to her lips, before collecting a bow and quiver from a barrel she'd obviously left it in earlier.

Anders grabs his staff, spells already tingling in his fingertips.