Chapter One
"Phahh! Like that red-headed lass could beat me; I'm the reigning champion I am!"
Above the sound of the ocean crashing against starboard, above the music that was playing loudly to the dancing crew and above the clanging of rum bottles, it made Taliáh turn her head. She could recognise that voice anywhere. He looked straight at her, jeering slightly as he waved his beverage in her direction. With the infamous crossbow hanging over his back, the quarrels still stained with blood from the yesterday, and the animalistic expression now covering his broad, ugly face, there was no doubt where 'Blunt' got his name from. He was Captain Silas' first mate on board the Night's Plunder, an impressive pirate ship of only fifteen men which held the largest collective bounty in all of Thedas' oceans. If Taliáh didn't know just how docile he was behind that muscular mass, she would have been terrified. Instead, she just sighed. Blunt was 'reigning champion' at his favourite drinking game, where the objectives were as simple as his dim-witted mind (possibly why he was best at it and therefore why his name was emblazoned in the title…). 'Drink 'em under the table Blunt!' served only one purpose – to prove Blunt could indeed become more brain-dead than he already is, by gulping down bottle upon bottle of rum, drinking his opponent into oblivion. Taliáh had to admit, he certainly wasn't the champion at this by any mistake. But she had seen better.
"Alright Blunt, what will it be? Will I be seeing a generous amount after I call you at your own game tonight?"
The crew went silent and Malachai, the musician, stopped playing his accordion in shock. Had the young girl who they barely just accepted onto their crew really just stood up to Blunt? They could only stare in awe and think 'this girl is either very clever or very stupid', all of them on edge to find out.
Blunt faltered, then smiled an evil grin "Oh Taliáh, it's a shame we always have to talk about payment in money, there's so much more we could be including when it comes to you repaying me for you losing". Some of his crewmates laughed at his crude joke, but many eyes were glued to Taliáh's face when she waved the comment away, "We'll see". The crowd grew closer as Taliáh sat with the proud pirate at a small wooden table. "Oi! Grab us some rum, will ya?" Blunt yelled, then looked at Taliáh and gave her a sarcastic wink, "Bur aye don' fink we'll be wanning much ternight, Stellan!" Stellan hurried to their table with armfuls of bottles of white Antivian rum. Taliáh noticed how much younger the ships cabin boy was compared to the rest of the crew. She found it odd how Captain Silas kept his 15-year-old brother aboard the ship and had not given him the choice to become other than a servant to his vulgar crewmates. But now wasn't the time to think about Stellan, or indeed the Captain, although somewhere in the back of her mind made her wonder where Silas was. She cleared her throat and focused upon Blunt's face as he bit off the top of one of the bottles with his teeth and spat it out onto the floor next to them. Taliáh grabbed a bottle off the table and hooked it on the edge of the table, and used the angle to scrape the top off. "Oooh," Blunt teased "Clever trick. You can open a bottle of rum. Now that's impressive."
"You know what will be impressive?" Taliáh started and Blunt's eyes lit up, encouraging her to try to say something intelligent, although he probably wouldn't understand if she did, "When you give me all of the gold you salvaged from today's raid on the Eye of the Storm as a reward payment"
Blunt tensed, knowing how much gold he had taken that morning from the rival pirate ship. Captain Silas had ordered them to raid the ship for treasure before leaving the isle of Alamar when Taliáh noticed it docked next to theirs, with nobody on board except what seemed to be the cook. Silly, Taliáh had thought, everyone knows cooks don't fight.
"Fine, Miss Navigator, but if I win you're mine for the night"
Blunt's fist pounded the tiny wooden table once again. "MORE!" he screamed to Stellan, who had been running from the kitchen back up to the deck more times than Taliáh cared to think about right now. She guzzled the last drops from her 7th bottle and smacked her lips, letting a smile play across her face as she eyed her opponent. She had been told by her crewmates that Blunt's all-time best was 8 bottles of rum and she was determined to surpass that, to be rid of his taunts and jibes about her gender, and to prove that she was just as good as any of the men on Silas' ship. Taliáh could tell by the way the first mate's eyes were boggling in their sockets, and the way his words had become more slurred than normal that he was coming to the end of his limits. She let out a small laugh as she was handed her next bottle. She put it down on the table and Blunt's eyes shot from the bottle to her face.
"So, you admit defeat? I gotta say, I underestimated ya-"
Taliáh cut him off by a wave of her hand. His face sank into an angry grimace. She grabbed her rum, took a long swig, momentarily pausing only to wipe some hair out of her face, then downed the remaining contents of the bottle.
"You were saying..?"
The crew were stunned and could only stare at Blunt as his face turned from shock to a recognisable infuriated snarl. In retaliation, he snatched another bottle from Stellan, with a vein pounding upon his heated forehead. He grunted as he smashed the neck of the bottle against the edge of the table and gulped at the liquid. Taliáh watched closely as his eyes began to cross under the strain of what was most likely high blood pressure from the alcohol and also the pain of his belt digging into his protruding stomach which Taliáh found herself amused by, she giggled. The men gathered around them cheered their superior on, laughing at how angry he was to have a worthy opponent for once. How was this tiny girl beating the monster that was Blunt Jones? It was an insane night. Taliáh finished her last bottle of rum as Blunt hit the deck with a thud, unconscious from all of the alcohol he had consumed. The crowd went silent and as Taliáh didn't see any more reasons to be sat around, she got up and proceeding to head toward the sleeping quarters, passing the men that stared at her shamelessly. Oh well, she would go and get her reward now from Blunt's room. She climbed the stairs and went inside the ship, only to be stopped dead in her tracks by a tall, dark figure, dressed in a long black coat and a black pirate hat.
She was annoyed that she could already feel the heat rising in her cheeks, and because of this she could not hold his gaze. The Captain of the Night's Plunder smiled to himself as she avoided his stare. "I heard the commotion on deck, something about you beating Blunt at his game. Tell me; is my first-mate still alive?"
"Yes, but barely. He didn't go down without a fight… or a thump" Taliáh grinned. She couldn't help herself. Silas smiled back, showing his pearl white teeth against his weather-worn face, contrasting with the olive colouring of his skin. Taliáh stopped herself from licking her lips. She had never felt so close to the Captain before the other night. After a successful raid on an Orlesian vessel stocked full of supplies and treasure, they had sat in the Captain's cabin, drinking rum and laughing. She had never seen the usually stern Captain look so sexy, and so interested in her. She had come aboard the Night's Plunder a little over a year ago by accident; in fact she was in the middle of trying to loot the ship of its valuables when the Captain caught her in the act. She remembered being furious with herself for getting caught and asked herself if the last eight years of living a life as a thief on the streets had taught her nothing. Luckily, Silas had seen her potential when she had dropped one of her self-made maps in shock at his presence. He had picked it up and grunted in surprise at what skills the sixteen year old girl in from of him possessed, and besides that, she was a beauty. It was in that moment that he told her she would be working with his crew as the navigator and chief map-maker of his pirate ship. How he could tell that she had the ability and skills to keep his ship on the right course, to draw accurate enough maps for him, she still to this day did not know. But hey, she had thought, anything to move on from living on the streets, right? And to be honest, apart from the heckling from the crew she received daily, Taliáh found the ship to be a breath of fresh air. Finally, she was able to do something she enjoyed, to develop her skills as a navigator and to continue making a map of Thedas, and she found herself completely at ease with the male atmosphere. Especially just recently, and with one particular man, who was now laughing at her joke. This sound brought her back down to Earth, and she nervously laughed along with him, hoping he hadn't realised her girlish fantasies playing out over her face.
"It seems I should be thankful my ship is still in working condition by the sounds of it. How you aren't falling over your feet in a drunken stupor is beyond me, you must have drunk more than eight bottles to beat him, am I correct?" Silas breathed close to her ear, he was so close she could smell the leather belt he had on, and the silk of his red shirt. She breathed it in, feeling more intoxicated by his odour than all of the rum. "Yes," Taliáh agreed. He moved even closer and slid his right hand down her back, she suppressed a shiver of delight and instead looked him straight in the eye, "But, if you like, I could share a bottle with you".
Silas liked what she said. He exhaled slowly and silently turned her around by the hand still resting on the small of her back, and they began walking. Being led down the candle-lit hall of the ship she had no idea what to think. What were you thinking? You have no experience with this kind of thing, get out of it now before he takes you for an idiot! But Taliáh ignored her brain yelling at her, she wanted to be with Silas. She knew that there was a connection between them, and that there had been a build-up to this pinnacle moment. She felt brave, but also scared, and Taliáh wasn't one to scare easily. They reached the Captain's quarters, somewhere which the rest of the crew had never stepped foot in, let alone knew what it looked like, and Taliáh couldn't help but grow more intrigued. He stopped just outside the wooden door, and turned to face her, cupping her chin between his index finger and thumb, holding it up gently to meet his eyes. "I'm going to go above deck to get some drinks; you go in and make yourself… comfortable". Taliáh could only nod in compliance and watch him walk back the way they had just come. Comfortable? Was she meant to take off her clothes and climb seductively into his bed, ready and waiting for him to return and ravish her? Oh God, I have no idea what to do. Taliáh slowed her breathing, trying to calm herself. Firstly, it is obvious that you need to go into his room. You can do that can't you?
She turned the knob on the door and slowly pushed it open. She felt like she was a thief aboard the Orlesian ship again, that she was not worthy of being in the room, that she should be looking over her shoulder waiting for someone to punish her for her acts of insolence against her betters and destroying the brilliance of their belongings with her mere presence.
She gasped and quietly closed the door behind her. The first thing she noticed about Silas' room was the smell. The smell he carried around with him, the musky smell of his clothes, along with the delicate notes of his sweat. Delicious. For all it was the Captain's quarter, the room itself was rather small, with just a trunk at the far end of the room, a small table cluttered with documents and maps Taliáh herself had made for him to look over, but the huge bed dressed in red satin sheets and a large black fur throw dominated the room. Taliáh couldn't help but to stare at it, knowing what would be happening there in just a matter of time. She walked up to the mirror that was hanging on the wall next to the table and gave her reflection a critical review. She took off her bandana and let it fall to the floor. She groaned inwardly at how messy her hair was, she wished she could wash first and make herself pretty, but there was no time to think like that now. It was going to happen; she had wanted this since she first saw him, thinking that he was the most attractive man she had ever seen in her life. The way he moved, the way he talked, everything amounted to make him so attractive, so unattainable; until now. She breathed out slowly as she moved toward the bed and sat down on the smooth sheets. Her hands moved across the smooth fabric, imagining how Silas looked sleeping in these sheets with his olive skin being stroked by silk as he slept.
Taliáh looked down at her clothes with distaste. She realised how manly she looked in her oversized white shirt, belt and brown tights and wondered what Silas saw in her. She crossed her legs and stared at the door, then became aware she would look too attentive if he walked through the door at that moment and rearranged herself so she wasn't facing the door, but instead was staring at the maps on the table. Her heart froze as she heard footsteps approaching outside the door. Maker, please help me through this, Taliáh thought as the steps got louder, help me to be a woman and not a little girl. Help me impress him!
She bit her lip in anticipation as she heard the clanging of bottles that he had brought with him. There was a pause as he reached the door, then he turned the door knob and pushed it open. Taliáh exhaled.
"A drink, my dear?" Silas motioned to the bottles he had just placed on the table. Taliáh noted that he had even brought two glasses. He must be out to impress, we'd normally be drinking straight out of the bottle. Taliáh eyed the rum, and then looked back at him. She could sense his urgency, and wondered if he realised her breathing had quickened rapidly. Whatever he sensed in her, he left the rum and marched over to her, throwing his hat on the floor as he came. She knelt up to meet him as he reached the bed. He approached her and she let his eyes rake her face before he took her face in his hand. Then he kissed her. It was soft at first, with small kisses being planted on her lips, the most wonderful thing she had ever experienced. She felt his hand move from her chin to gently stroke her face to end up entangled in her hair. She became braver with every kiss and tentatively nibbled at his bottom lip, feeling satisfied with herself when she heard a little moan of pleasure escape from his throat. From this, she slid her hands down his chest, picking his shirt buttons apart as she progressed down the broad planes of his body. Silas responded by taking off Taliáh's belt without leaving her lips, and then running his hand inside her white shirt, along her stomach and over her hips. The feeling of his rough, strong hands caressing her skin was extraordinary. More clothes came off, and sooner than she realised they were both naked, staring at the other's body in wonder and awe. She tried not to stare too much at his throbbing manhood that pointed towards her, almost intimidating her to try to pleasure him with her inexperience. Silas moved towards her swiftly, climbing on top of her as she balanced on her elbows, leaning towards him to meet his lips once again. His hands travelled from her hair to her nipples which now stood firmly upright, affected by the cold of the room. Taliáh couldn't explain how she was feeling at that moment, the emotions of excitement and nervousness was too overwhelming. His expert fingers rolled her nipples to the point of making her moan, his throaty laugh escaping every time she did. He made her lay down and proceeded to kiss her neck, and suddenly she felt him poking around her entrance. He slid around in her wetness, and a growl erupted from his mouth at the feeling upon his flesh meeting hers. His head suddenly snapped up, and he met her eyes with a passion she had never felt before. "Taliáh…"And without any more warning, he forced himself inside her in one quick motion. Taliáh screamed in pain. She didn't know if she had just imagined it, but she could swear she felt her insides rip. She seized up automatically, and he felt her tighten around him. He bit his lip in pleasure as he looked down at her and started thrusting, ignoring her hands pushing against his chest, trying to slow him down. Everything was warm, and Taliáh tried to ask him to stop. But he was breathing heavily, the sounds of her blood pulsing in her veins matching his intake of breath. "Silas…" He didn't look at her. He threw his head back and began to thrust, deeper, harder, and faster. Each time he did, Taliáh screamed. She tried to hold him back but he was too strong. What was happening? He is hurting me! Why won't he stop? He let out a triumphant moan at her next yell, almost enjoying her pain. She began pounding his chest, only for him to react in grabbing her wrists and pinning them down above her head, trapping her beneath him. She bit her lip to try and withstand the pain, but it was no good. It hurt too much and he wasn't going to stop. He's a monster, Taliáh thought he's enjoying my pain. Taliáh let out another scream, and Silas finally looked down at her. "You like it? You like it you stupid little girl?" Taliáh's eyes widened in terror. Why had he said that?Taliáh's head launched back in the pain, it was excruciating, not only the physical pain she was suffering, but also the pain she had felt at hearing those words. He retreated back to moaning in pleasure, while she let out the biggest scream yet. At this he growled and looked her straight in the eye. He slowed. Thank the Maker, Taliáh thought, exasperated, he's letting me go! She raised herself to head for the edge of the bed where her clothes where.
"Where do you think you're going? I'm not done yet!"
Silas grabbed her by the arm and pulled her so violently that she landed face first onto the bed. She cried out and swung her fists wildly as her held her head down into the pillows with a huge hand. Her voice was muffled and the heat of the fabric in her face caused her nose to start running. Silas mounted her, positioning himself like an animal, bent over her back, and entered her more roughly than he had done the first time. She began to scream, only to have her hair grabbed and raised, then her face pushed further into the pillows, biting her bottom lip and drawing blood at the same time with the force of it. She tasted metallic in her mouth and knew at that moment there was no way to free herself from this tragedy. She couldn't believe she was doing so, but she admitted defeat. Feeling deflated and bloated by the sheer size of him, she lay there, praying only that it would be over soon. She felt herself become numb to his cruelty he gave her body, and proceeded to lay in silence, listening to the pounding of his cold, greedy heart.
Finally it was over.
She didn't feel anything, she only knew it had reached it's end by his animalistic grunt and retreat from her body. She didn't move. She heard him leave the bed and pull on his clothes. She lay still as she possibly could, fearing that if she moved, something may happen. After all, this wasn't the Silas she had come to know and respect, this was a demon.
"Get out"
Taliáh flew up from the bed, snatched up her clothes and left the room at such a pace that she didn't even care if she was wearing no clothes as she entered the corridor. She walked, keeping her eyes firmly on the ground, tears streaming silently down her face. She robotically put on her shirt, pausing momentarily to put on her tights to cover up the stains and bruises on her legs. She turned the corridor and headed for her room, sounding out the greetings from the drunken crewmates as they passed her. She raised her hand to wipe the blood that was on her face, and was disgusted by his undeniable smell on her skin. Fear griped her. She needed air.
She began to run, all the way back to the main stairs and up them, heading towards the deck. Taliáh reached the railings and threw up over them, into the ocean. She let her body fall to the deck and she sat there, staring ahead blindly, not looking at anything or for anything, it was just an exercise that allowed her mind to vegetate. Her hair blew all around her face with the cruel cold of the night wind, and her body didn't even bother to shiver when her skin spawned goose pimples. Not that she would have cared at that moment, but there was nobody there to see her in this state, or at least, that's what she thought.
"Miss Taliáh? Are you alright?"
"Yes," Taliáh answered without looking up to see who had interrupted her mindless stare. She heard a light male voice clear this throat. Taliáh blinked slowly, like the miniscule effort caused her pain "I'm fine"
The visitor's footsteps halted, and Taliáh felt someone drop down beside her.
"I know how you feel"
Taliáh's insides turned to ash. How could he possibly know how I feel?
The voice went on, "I know how mean he can be, and you didn't deserve to take blame for his fury tonight.
Oh Stellan, please don't talk like that. You poor boy, you don't know what has happened. You poor, innocent boy.
She heard Stellan clear his throat again, and she wondered why he was out here in the middle of the night talking to her. If Silas saw them, he would more than likely beat them both, perhaps even throw them overboard for 'slandering' him, as Taliáh now knew all too well that their Captain was capable of anything.
"Stellan-"
"Miss Taliáh, I heard the screams. You don't have to explain" Stellan's voice sounded strained, like he had to push the words out of his own mouth with increasing force at every syllable. Taliáh's eyes widened, then she felt the moisture drip out of the corners, how shameful.
"Wait here"
She heard Stellan rise and walk away. She cared not as to where he was going, only about what he had heard. That poor boy was no more than 15 years old without a choice in his own destiny. Taliáh now realised Silas had kept her prisoner, as he had his own brother. Neither of them had been offered the choice to come work for him, she would have only just gone back to petty thieving to get by, and Stellan would have had nothing since their parents died from a disease that swept their homeland Rivain before he had turned 10. Taliáh felt her hatred at Silas grow the more she thought about how ruthless and uncaring he was. After all those nights of closeness and laughter he hadn't cared about her, he'd only cared about his own selfish needs for human flesh.
Her eyes still had not moved from the spot they had stared at from five minutes ago. She listened to the sound of the crashing waves, occasionally feeling sea spray sprinkle over her wounded body, stinging upon the tender surface of her face. What was she to do now? Was she to stay on this ship for the rest of her days, being Silas' respected lady Navigator on the daytime and his personal plaything on the night?
NO she told herself. I will not allow that to happen.
The sound coming closer told her that Stellan had returned. He placed something on the floor and sat down next to her again like he had before. Taliáh couldn't help her curiousness and looked to her left. There was a steaming cup of cocoa waiting for her to drink. She let a tear slide down her cheek as she looked at it and suddenly felt freezing, as if this cup had brought her back down to Earth after the ordeal. She raised the cup graciously and thanked him before drinking. Next to her, Stellan smiled and placed a heavy coat around her shoulders as she finished the drink.
"Thank you for being so kind Stellan. I don't know what I would have done all night if you weren't here. Probably just sit on deck, looking at the stars, replaying the night in my mind"
Stellan grimaced; he hated seeing her like this. She had been such an asset to their crew and Silas had treated her as if she was another mere whore from the docks. It made him angry. He hated Silas enough for what he had forced him to be, but to do this to Taliáh was just obscene.
"I study the stars too. I hope someday their predictions will come true"
Taliáh was startled by this, he studied the stars? What was there to study? They were just stars.
"What do you mean, study the stars?" She looked at him confused, as if he'd said something completely absurd.
Stellan smiled, his curly black hair whipping around his face with the flow of the night wind. "The stars tell you your future, what you're destined to become. Mine say that I am meant to aid in a great discovery, but I doubt that will happen working as a cabin boy for Silas!" he laughed bitterly and then looked at her. "Are you feeling okay? Would you like anything for the pain?"
But Taliáh was transfixed by what he had previously said. She had never heard of the stars having such an impact on someone's life! Then she felt the distaste grow in her mouth once more. Stellan was so clever, so intelligent, but he was stuck here on a pirate ship with his bastard of a brother to serve? It wasn't right.
She turned to look into his deep grey eyes – exactly like his brother's – and said
"Let's leave"
Captain Silas groaned as light filled his bedroom. His eyes wanted to stay shut just a few more moments. He turned over onto his side and let his face get buried within the silky folds of his bed sheets and breathed her scent in.
Taliáh…
"CAPTAIN!"
Silas rolled his eyes and sat up straight in his bed. Fucking crew is useless, if it wasn't for Taliáh we wouldn't even be able to sail right. He dressed quickly and climbed the stairs to the deck to see what all the commotion was about. The men were running around, panicking as if something terrible had happened. His eyes narrowed as he looked at them. He walked towards the kitchen and got himself a bottle of rum out of the cabinet, eyes casually flicking from sailor to sailor, watching their discomfort as nobody wanted to be the one to tell him the bad news. Finally, Blunt marched up to him and all of the crew watched in horror as he said
"Captain, all of the treasure has been stolen. And Taliáh and Stellan are nowhere to be seen"
The bottle smashed in Silas' hand, and all that could be heard over the ocean was his scream of anger.
"Quick, Stellan! They'll be setting sail by now, it's lucky that the ship docked at Gwaren last night because they'll be going to Rivain, which would have meant at least two months before we could escape!"
They were running down the streets of Gwaren, a small but busy fishing town on the coast of Ferelden, with their stolen treasure. After the conversation last night, the pair had decided to flee the pirate ship and to be free from Silas' grasp. Taliáh knew Stellan was wasting his life serving his brother, and she saw the look of exhilaration on this face when they had escaped. They raced around corners and up steps, putting a deliberately large amount of space and time in between them and their former Captain. They slowed as soon as they reached the village centre, and turned down a derelict street. Taliáh was breathing hard as she raised her head to look at Stellan, who was staring at her intently. They grinned at each other and exhaled unanimously.
"Taliáh, I can't thank you enough. I thought I was doomed to be on that blasted ship for the rest of my life. But thanks to you I'm free"
Taliáh reached out and hugged him, surprised at how sincere his voice was, and the look his eyes spoke only the truth. He hugged her tight, showing her his gratitude, and although it stung slightly on her bruises, she held him like that for a while until he let go and looked at her again.
"Where are you going to go?" Stellan asked her.
Taliáh had thought about this a lot since the idea of leaving the Night's Plunder had entered her mind, and was definite in her answer.
"I am going to go to Antiva. I think I may have family there"
Stellan stroked her shoulder "I hope you find what you're looking for. I think I will see if the Chantry in Ferelden will accept me for work."
Taliáh smiled and gave him half of the treasure they had taken, Stellan's eyes widened in shock. "Taliáh, you'll need it more than me." And Taliáh shook her head, telling him to accept it, "I couldn't have done this without you, I owe you that much at the very least"
With a final goodbye to Stellan, Taliáh hitched her treasure over her shoulder and she was on her way to Antiva, to find the truth to her past, written on a dagger she had on a belt. She didn't remember how she had received this weapon, but she knew it was from her father.
And he was a major weaponsmithy in Antiva.
It was mid-morning of the following day when Taliáh reached Lake Calanhad Docks, located in the upper-East side of Ferelden. The journey should have taken her at least a week, but she had climbed aboard a service train in Gwaren which was carrying fruit to the Ferelden villages, and had hidden behind the boxes of produce. Their escape so far had been exceptionally lucky, but she feared for Stellan going back into Ferelden without her, at least if she was there she could have defended him, but he had assured her he would be fine. Taliáh felt exhausted when she reached dockside, and she sat in the boathouse, intending that place to provide her shelter overnight. She stowed her bag of treasure and stolen apples which she had taken from the train under a rowing boat and sat down, leaning against it. Even though Silas was far away, being so close to a dock, to the water, made her feel uneasy, but she could not walk any more tonight. Knowing so she closed her eyes and began to relax. The rush of the wind among the trees soothed her, and she began to breathe deeply.
"I haven't seen any Templars yet"
"And we must keep it that way!"
Taliáh instantly opened her eyes. The two voices, the first being female and the second being male, were getting louder, they were running. No, Taliáh thought, can't be..
"If we don't slow down then we ARE going to look suspicious!"
There was a second female voice, making the approaching party three people present. Taliáh drew her dagger from out of its sheath, just to be safe. She had heard about these people, how dangerous they were with their abilities, and she didn't like the fact that there were three of them. Apostate mages, mages that defy the Circle of Magi, wild mages, were known for their stunning power with different types of magic, that they could destruct an entire city if they wanted to, and the worst part being that they cannot be completely controlled; no matter how hard the Templar's fought. That is why they are kept in the Circle, to prevent their abilities being unleashed on the world. Needless to say, Taliáh had never encountered a Mage before, and now there were three approaching. Like this was all she needed.
The three blurs hurried past and quickly boarded an obviously Orlesian ship. Taliáh wondered what they were doing, but blamed her lack of perception of the three down to her lack of sleep. She was ready to doze off again until she heard screams coming from the same ship.
"APOSTATE! SHE'S AN APOSTATE! SET SAIL! SHE'S KILLED JACK!"
Taliáh bolted upright and onto her feet, her dagger drawn at her side in the darkness. The next thing she knew, two Templars were raced down to dockside to deal with the poor mage who had released her power on the ship. Taliáh frowned. People do not hurt others without a reason, unless of course, they're a bastard. But if that mage woman has killed a sailor, I bet it was because he couldn't keep his crummy hands off her! Recoiling at the injustice of the idea, Taliáh silently followed the two Templars, vowing to strike if they dared put a finger on this , she saw her. She was a brown-haired girl, around the same age as Taliáh herself, but she looked desperate. The Templars were obviously using their cleansing power to drain her mana, making her vulnerable without her magic. Taliáh growled under her breath, how dare they? She's still a woman at the end of the day!
From that moment, time went quickly.
The girl looked like she was handling herself pretty well for the duration of the struggle. Taliáh noted that the girl's Arcane Bolts and Lightning Bolts to be of particular strength, and found herself marvelling at the Mage's spells. Her fighting skills were nothing like Taliáh had ever seen, it was so impressive, so powerful. SO DANGEROUS! Taliáh thought as the girl sent a Templar flying with a spell that hit him in the face. She then began to form a huge ball of lightning in her palm, eyes clasped firmly onto the second Templar. She shot the spell at him with unbelievable force, and this sent him crushing into the ground. Taliáh looked to her right where a third Templar was approaching, and then back at the girl. She looked tired. She wouldn't be able to last much longer. Taliáh inched a bit further out of the shadows, but the third Templar did something Taliáh did not expect. He threw a bolt of blue at the girl as she ran toward the nearby market place, hitting her square in the back. Taliáh did not know what the bolt was, but it brought the girl to her knees… and Taliáh to her rescue.
As Taliáh ran towards her, the fight did not cease. The blonde girl shot ice into the Templar's face and he yelled out in pain of it, Taliáh let a victorious laugh escape her. The Templar from before, the one that the girl had injured by her Arcane Bolt, was gaining on her. Taliáh knew there was no chance the girl could win, and she could see another Templar recovering, rising to his feet, no retreat in their pursuit. She sped up and was almost in reach of them. She heard a verbal scuffle between the girl and a Templar, before the girl hit this one in the face with some ice, like she had done to his friend. But this was not a good sign, the Templar who had recovered shot the same blue bolt at her as before, and the girl doubled over in pain. Taliáh gasped and shot forwards. The Templars were closing in on the girl, but Taliáh's fury took control of the situation. She rushed up to the first Templar and used brought her blade up to meet his throat. Her dagger was met by his twin brother, so she had one in each hand, ready to kill. As the man hit the floor, Taliáh finished him by stabbing him in the neck, getting soaked in his blood in the process. But that didn't matter. The attack she had bestowed onto the first Templar made the second drop the girl in fear, but he was still Taliáh's target.
She ran towards him and in a flash was behind him, sinking her blade into his back, and he too fell. She saw the girl shuffle away from her on the ground, obviously wondering who she was and what her intentions were towards her, as seen as she had already killed two men in cold blood. The girl gasped as Taliáh held her hand out to her, staring into her blue eyes. Taliáh looked at the girl, she was pretty, brunette and had soft green eyes. Her hair, Taliáh guessed, had been brushed this morning, straight and smooth, but now it was messy from the fight. The girl gazed up at her, almost as if Taliáh was some goddess. Taliáh smiled at her as the girl accepted her hand.
"T-Thank you so much!" The stunned girl breathed.
"That's alright" Taliáh told her, "I've never liked Templars. They take themselves way too seriously, you know?"
"Er..." The girl began, not really knowing how Taliáh could joke like that right after such a brutal display of violence. Taliáh giggled at her.
"I'm Taliáh by the way. Now, we had best get out of here before more come! Animals do roam in packs" she said with a smirk.
Taliáh grabbed the girl by her hand and led her out of harm's way, only stopping momentarily to pick up her treasure from the boathouse and they fled into the night.