Cade doesn't leave Beleth's side often, but he is periodically hand-picked for certain missions: missions that involve squirreling out people who were once in his social sphere and delivering them to the Venatori. Even if he doesn't care-- and might even prefer-- if he's killed for disobedience, there's still Beleth to consider, and she is always leveraged. Fail, defect, betray us, and the elf gets it. Whether or not she actually would is up to debate, but the point is to make him think she would, and Cade isn't known for his resistance to bullshit.
His most recent mission involved going to Orzammar, clothed as a refugee, wrapped in a way that implies he has miserable wounds (and not the signs of red lyrium) to hide. This time, he went seeking Alistair. And he found him, and he told him where Beleth is, that she needs help.
Cade is a terrible liar, but technically those aren't lies. He does know where she is, and he does believe she needs help. But even so, he has a hard time looking at Alistair without knowing what lies in wait. He knows better than to even plead that the captives be left alive, or better yet, untortured; his opinion counts for virtually nothing, and speaking up just increases the chance of worse fates befalling them.
He's quiet and fidgety as they make their way down to the foothills of the Frostbacks, ultimately not far from a region Alistair likely knows well from his travels with the Warden: they stop at a small trading post just north of Lake Calenhad, and set up camp. Because 'quiet' and 'fidgety' are not descriptors that indicate unusual behavior on Cade's part, he's hiding in plain sight. And waiting.
He doesn't sleep, of course. And when the dawn finally breaks, and they're packing up their meager camp, that's when the modest contingent of Venatori march up to them, swords and bows drawn, and order Alistair to stand down. Cade barely reacts at all; he certainly doesn't draw his sword, and in fact barely seems to acknowledge that anything is happening at all. He's gazing pointedly away from the goings-on, perhaps watching a bird somewhere in the middle distance, frowning desolately and trying to will Alistair not to look at him.
Very Recently
Whether or not she actually would is up to debate, but the point is to make him think she would, and Cade isn't known for his resistance to bullshit.
His most recent mission involved going to Orzammar, clothed as a refugee, wrapped in a way that implies he has miserable wounds (and not the signs of red lyrium) to hide. This time, he went seeking Alistair. And he found him, and he told him where Beleth is, that she needs help.
Cade is a terrible liar, but technically those aren't lies. He does know where she is, and he does believe she needs help. But even so, he has a hard time looking at Alistair without knowing what lies in wait. He knows better than to even plead that the captives be left alive, or better yet, untortured; his opinion counts for virtually nothing, and speaking up just increases the chance of worse fates befalling them.
He's quiet and fidgety as they make their way down to the foothills of the Frostbacks, ultimately not far from a region Alistair likely knows well from his travels with the Warden: they stop at a small trading post just north of Lake Calenhad, and set up camp. Because 'quiet' and 'fidgety' are not descriptors that indicate unusual behavior on Cade's part, he's hiding in plain sight. And waiting.
He doesn't sleep, of course. And when the dawn finally breaks, and they're packing up their meager camp, that's when the modest contingent of Venatori march up to them, swords and bows drawn, and order Alistair to stand down.
Cade barely reacts at all; he certainly doesn't draw his sword, and in fact barely seems to acknowledge that anything is happening at all. He's gazing pointedly away from the goings-on, perhaps watching a bird somewhere in the middle distance, frowning desolately and trying to will Alistair not to look at him.