… than a paper boat in his hands, and with her limp form slung over a shoulder, he quietly makes his way to the stage door where the others wait. Stepping over the body of the bas guard (and the qunari pathetic enough to fall to the bas’s blade), the Antaam disappear into the night.

… part of this pointless farce.

Once he’s sure that the bas is unconscious, karasaad binds and blindfolds her as instructed. Another pointless bas triviality; she is out cold. But the one who hired his karataam insisted that she be given no chance to take in her surroundings.

She is lighter …

—

She struggles, as they all do. And as the others, the elf quickly falls limp.

The shattering of glass is an irritant, and the karasaad pauses to listen for any sign that the noise has attracted attention.

Nothing. Only the sounds of actors and crew scurrying about to prepare for the next …

—

… in her dressing room. Despite his height, he has found shadows among which to hide, and it’s only once the elf is seated and relaxed that he moves.

A rag from his belt, doused in some liquid, is pressed quickly against her face, smothering her cries as he pins both her arms with one of his own.

Most believe the Antaam to be composed exclusively of hulking brutes with massive swords and bellows like a dragon. But not so; leaner, quieter Qunari are counted among them, those with a penchant for stealth and secrecy, subterfuge and surprise.

It is one such Antaam that awaits the ingenue…

—