A Different Kind of Magic
by: Black Lotus
Chapter 1: Broken Mirrors
Daphia sat on the hill overlooking Crossroad Keep. She noted that a few more buildings had been added during the three years she had been absent, but not by any choice of hers. It was almost as if the War of Shadows had never happened. The young wizard finally stood, unsure, as she looked down the path which led down to her home. If it was still her home; after all, three years was a long time. In her mind, she had imagined her arrival a dozen times over, her friends running out of the gates to welcome her back as soon as she had been spotted by the patrolling Cloaks. There would be laughing, hugging and, best of all, he would be there waiting for her, smiling. Daphia blushed at where her mind wandered, and was so taken by her own imagination that she nearly jumped out of her skin when someone coughed to get her attention.
"Eeep!" Flustered, she turned toward the noise and beamed as she recognized who it was. She smiled at Khelgar and hugged him as if her life depended on it.
"Daphia!" Khelgar returned the hug; it was good to see his old friend and leader again.
"Khelgar! It's good to see you." She replied quietly with a bit of weariness. Khelgar gave her a good look and frowned a little; she looked drawn and tired. It was the look in her eyes that worried him most; they looked distant and seemed to have lost some of their youthful light.
"You look tired lass. Why don't you come in and rest. It's your keep, Knight-Captain, and I'm willing to bet that a few people will be rather glad to see you." He was concerned about her well-being and didn't know why she seemed reluctant to get to the keep.
"I - I have something to ask first."
"Yes?" The dwarf looked at her waiting for her to continue.
Daphia bit her lips like she used to when she was nervous. She gathered up her courage to ask the one question she needed answered the most. If she were honest with herself, she was afraid of the dwarven monk's answer. The young woman took a deep breath.
"Did I - I mean did we lose anyone?" It even hurt when she asked the question, Khelgar gave her a long sad look; at that moment her hope that Ammon Jerro had been lying flew out of the window.
"Elanee didn't make it and for what it's worth, neither did Bishop. We found their bodies after we cleared out the rubble. We buried Elanee in the Circle with her friends. As for Bishop, that traitor got what he deserved." Khelgar spat Bishop's name like a curse.
"What about Casavir?" Daphia felt rotten; Elanee had been a good friend and she hoped Khelgar would not think too badly of her for asking this. The dwarf didn't quite meet her gaze.
"He's alive," Khelgar told her in a low whisper. Daphia almost collapsed with relief; just to hear that he was alive brought tears to her eyes.
"But where he is now? I think he would have wanted to be dead." He continued in that low whisper, it was enough to send shivers down her spine.
"What do you mean?"
"He was badly wounded and still he managed to crawl out of the rubble. A Luskan patrol found him before we did. They recognized him as one of your companions and brought him to Luskan. He was tried and found guilty of murder."
"Are they going to execute him?" Her voice was quivering a bit.
"No, Luskan failed to get you the first time, they are simply using Casavir to goad Neverwinter. He's rotting in prison and there is nothing I or Lord Nasher can do about it." Khelgar's tone held no compromise.
"I see."
Hoping to cheer her up a bit, he went into the details of what had happened in the three years she had been missing. He had taken her place in the Neverwinter Nine and stewardship of Crossroad Keep until she came back. He mentioned her father, Daeghun; the half elf was still looking for her in the Wilds.
"I see. Thank you, Khelgar. You have been a very good friend." She patted the dwarf on the shoulder before turning around walking away from the keep with a look of determination on her face. Khelgar's short legs did their best to keep up with her.
"Wait, where are you going?" Daphia stopped and half turned to Khelgar giving him an answer.
"To free Casavir from Luskan." Khelgar smirked at the wizard as if he already knew what she wanted to do.
"Right then, let me get my things and I'll be right along."
"No..."
"Nine Hells I won't, I missed all the adventure you had during the three years you went missing." The dwarf started on a rant about him not being there to watch her back and keep her safe; he had eyes to see that whatever she had faced had changed her and not just the color of her hair. "You're planning to free the man you love, from a city that would sooner see you dead for the humiliation you made them suffer. You'll need someone you can trust to watch your back!"
"Khelgar, please understand you can't be involved in this. You're a member of the Nine now, and the steward of Crossroad Keep. People know you and if they find you're involved Luskan will have the ammunition to go after Neverwinter." Daphia looked at Khelgar and could see that she won this battle.
"Fine," said the sour-faced dwarf. "If I can't go with you, at least tell me what you need and I'll get it for you."
"Good. I'll need a Neverwinter guard uniform, a change of clothing, and one sword for hire, preferably one that won't ask too many questions."
"You won't tell me what you plan to do?"
"It's better if you don't know."
"Bah, walk in the grace of Tyr, Daphia."
"Mystra protect you, Khelgar." She said her goodbye before leaving for Neverwinter.
With the Neverwinter guard uniform that Khelgar had provided her, it was easy to sneak into Neverwinter. After all, who would notice one extra guard in the street? She had to fight the urge to go see her uncle at the Sunken Flagon or even go and bother Sand at his shop, knowing that she couldn't afford to be seen.
After almost an hour trekking the streets, she made it into the Blacklake District and stood in front of Aldanon's house. As intelligent and knowledgeable the old sage was, he could also be very forgetful and that could play in her advantage. She knocked on the door and waited for him to answer.
"Who is it?"
"Aldanon, it's me. Open up I need your help." She whispered so as to not bring attention from the neighbor.
"Funny, I never knew you ghosts would be well behaved enough to knock before pestering me. It's usually 'phase through the door and bother a poor old man'." The old man was going off on a tangent.
"Yes, well, I only came to ask for a favor. It's only proper that I knock, you know." She waited for a bit and was about to knock again when the door creaked open and the Sage peeked his head out.
"I suppose it's only fair to let you in, then." He said, somewhat resigned.
"Thank you, Aldanon." Daphia pushed the door wider and stepped inside the house. She looked behind her, checking to make sure no one had followed her before shutting the door. Turning to face Aldanon, she saw that he was nowhere in sight. The young wizard sighed and walked to his study.
"Who let you in?" She was looking at Aldanon sitting at his desk, looking through a pile of scrolls.
"You just did."
"Bah! You ghosts lie all the time and have no semblance of manners, invading a poor old man's house and pestering him. What is the world coming to?" He started rambling again and Daphia had to remind herself that this old man was a very wise sage. She rubbed her temples, feeling the start of a headache as she pondered how to ask the Sage what she needed. After listening to the old man ranting, she decided to go with the direct approach, interrupting him in mid rant.
"I need a "special" map that will get me into Luskan undetected and one of the prison layout." Her demands had the effect of sobering him up. It was strange and even after knowing the man, she was still unaccustomed to that side of him or how fast he could be the blubbering fool one moment and serious the next.
"I have something like that yes, but tell me, Knight Captain, what do you plan to do?" She winced when he mentioned her title.
"I - Casavir is in that prison and I intend to free him." The young wizard fidgeted, that side of Aldanon always unnerved her and it always made her seems like a child even with all the power she had. Daphia had no doubt that he would trump her.
"I see, to be young and in love, even after all this time." She blinked.
"Oh don't look so surprised. People talk, you know. There is even a book written about the Knight Captain and her Paladin, quite popular with the ladies at court." She blushed, looking rather embarrassed at the notion and prayed to any gods listening that Grobnar wasn't the author; she loved the gnome to death but this wasn't something she was quite ready for.
"Ah, let's see...what was it called?" He rambled on and looking through his bookshelves conveniently ignoring the look Daphia was giving him. "Oh yes. It's Always A Good Day for a Knight!" She groaned as he showed her the book, taking it from his hands, she skimmed over it and went several more shades of red. Daphia put the book in her bag, it was stealing, she knew, but it was for a good cause. In order to save her reputation when she got back, she would have to hunt down every single copy and burn them all.
"Back to Luskan. I can provide you with the maps, but you need to be careful. You can't use your spells once inside or you'll have the whole Tower of Arcane and then some coming after you."
"No magic, got it," she said.
"If you're discovered, it will make your escape all the more difficult, especially with all the wards placed about the prison to stop any sorcerer or wizard from escaping."
Daphia listened to the old sage as he explained the city of Luskan, trying to formulate a plan that would help her and Casavir escape the wards. She knew she was powerful, but she had never really learned any teleportation spells and according to Aldanon that kind of spell wouldn't be enough.
"Well, do you have anything that would help?" she asked. The sage nodded as he moved to one of his cupboards and rummaged through it. He removed two items and a scroll case. One looked like a mirror and the other was an amulet with the symbol of Neverwinter, the weeping eye; as for the scroll case she didn't need to guess that it contained the maps she had requested.
"This should help." He handed her the mirror, no bigger than the portable ones that the noble ladies carried all the time with them; what was strange was the feeling she had when she held it. Perhaps it was because it had no reflection, but she could feel magic emanating from it and it made her nauseous.
"It's a very old artifact and the only one of its kind. Not much is known about the mirror or why there is no reflection, but what we know is that the magic it contains is potent enough to render wards inactive and teleport you away. It doesn't have a name either." The young wizard nodded and suppressed a shudder as she tucked the mirror into her bag of holding not feeling comfortable holding it. Aldanon nodded at her and handed her the amulet.
"I hope I don't have to explain what the Eye of Never is. Of course, this one is just a copy of the original that is in Castle Never's vault, but it has a very powerful protection enchantment on it, keep it out of sight and close to your heart." Daphia was very grateful as she put the amulet around her neck, making sure that it was hidden under her Grey Cloak uniform, she then looked up at Aldanon to thank him.
"Oh look, a rabbit!" Going to his absent-minded self the sage scurried out the room going after a rabbit; the young wizard bowed and thanked the sage even if he wasn't there to see her. Daphia shouldering the scroll case hurried out of the house with a light step glad that the meeting with the sage when well, now she was heading into Neverwinter woods to meet with Khelgar's contact for the final act.
Daphia and the hireling named Eben trekked through the sewers under Luskan. Getting in the City of Sails posing as merchants had been easy enough; using the map Aldanon had provided her, she traced a route to the entrance of sewers that would lead them into the prison courtyard. She was unrecognizable as the Knight-Captain of Crossroad Keep, she was wearing black pants with a red scarf like belt, a blouse, a vest and a long coat instead of her usual robes.
A long sword was belted on her hip instead of the staff she carried with her; it was all for show and as a means to arm Casavir once they made it out of the prison. Everything else she needed was safely tucked in her bag of holding. The young wizard was starting to get anxious to get out of the sewers. It would mean one step closer to get to Casavir and out from under Eben's gaze. She had noticed the looks he was giving her when he thought she wasn't looking, and it started to unnerve her as she could not tell if it was lust, admiration or something else entirely.
Daphia didn't notice him stopping and she bumped into him. She started to mumble an apology, but Eben put a finger to his mouth asking for silence and pointed up to a sewer grate. They were where they needed to be. She nodded to him and the man went up the manhole first.
She waited alone in the sewers for him to give the all clear signal; when he did, she climbed up and out of the sewers to find herself in the prison courtyard. Selune was out tonight, bathing everything in eerie blue light, Both of them without so much as a sound and on swift stride crossed the entire length of the courtyard to reach the service door.
So far, so good. Once inside, Daphia pulled out another map. Khelgar had made use of Aarin Gend's spy network to get a rough map of Casavir's location. The map was a good thing since the prison was a labyrinth of corridors and cells with twist, turns and dead ends.
Daphia finally reached the door of the cell marked on the map, it was then that she realized that her plan had one glaring flaw; she could not open the door without using her magic. She started to pace in front of the cell trying to think of something, anything, to open the door. They had been lucky thus far but if she used her magic they would not make it.
"Let me." Eben's voice was a low whisper in her ear, causing her to jump. He crouched in front of the door and pulled out his tool kit. Khelgar had hired a rogue; she would have to thank him for the foresight. She stepped back and let the man work, looking about to make sure no one was coming. Her attention turned back to the door when she heard a click and the door creaking as he pushed it open.
"Stay here and be the look out." She ordered Eben as she stepped in the cell and closed the door behind her. She didn't move and held her breath. The young wizard waited and listened for any sounds within the cell, she could hear breathing but was unsure if it was her own or someone else's. Daphia turned around to look in the squared area, while her eyes adjusted themselves to the poor lighting.
The smell of the cell was pungent; it was a combination of offal and mildew, sweat and fear. As she went further in, her eyes could discern a black form leaning against the far wall facing the door. She suspected whoever it was should have seen her entering and yet she could tell the form hadn't moved an inch. When Daphia was close enough she knelt down next to the prisoner. She squinted to have a better look at his face, and she gasped; he looked rather ghastly.
His hair was longer and he sported a beard. His clothing was a simple shirt and trousers so dirty that it was impossible to tell what the original color might have been. Both of his wrists were in shackles, tied together with a two foot long chain. This was not the Casavir she met four years ago.
Daphia lifted her hand to Casavir's face but before she could touch him, his hand moved and grasped her wrist in a vice like grip. It was painful, but she didn't make any sound or struggle to free herself. He opened his eyes, looking at her. Daphia let out a breath not realizing she had been holding it.
"Casa-" She didn't have the chance to finish as he pushed her away from him.
"You've tempted me before, and it didn't work then. Begone! Tell your foul masters that they will not break me!" While his body had suffered and his mind tormented, there was still fire in his eyes. Daphia couldn't help but feel pleased and hurt at the same by his rejection.
"I'm the real Daphia Amberstone." She stated, Casavir shook his head not believing her at all.
"You lie!"
The wizard huffed, miffed that he was going to be stubborn about it.
"Then you leave me no choice!" Daphia got closer and knelt next to him, leaning in next to his ear to whisper. She felt him flinch as she spoke to him in a low voice. She told him of that night on the battlement of Crossroad Keep and afterward in her room that only the two of them knew about. Every sordid little detail. It was not something that could be conjured by some doppelganger or a very talented bard. She leaned back on her heel and looked at his face trying to gauge his reaction with the beard and the long hair it was somewhat difficult but she could see that he was blushing.
"My Lady?" He responded after a while.
"Yes?"
"You shouldn't have come, it was a dangerous thing to do." Casavir chided his lady. It was a dangerous thing she did for his sake and while his heart warmed that she came for him, deep down he was appalled with the risks she had taken to free him and promised himself that he would have long conversation with her about this little stunt.
"Well, it's a bit too late for that now is it not?" She replied trying not to smirk in triumph. Casavir conceeded the point as she was right; it was too late now. He stood up or at least tried to; his legs were straining with the effort. Casavir stumbled and was stopped from falling flat on his face when Daphia moved forward to catch him. She put one arm around his waist to support some of his weight as she helped him walk. Together they walked out of his cell. She stopped right outside the door and looked about the prison frowning.
"He's not here." She mumbled to herself and did not offer him much in explanation as to who was not there as they trekked about the prison.
Casavir was unfamiliar with the layout; in all of his three years of imprisonment he only left his cell once or twice. He was weak and had to rely on Daphia to walk. He looked down at her as they walked, studying her face. He could tell she was the same young woman he met four years ago by the way she behaved; yet at the same time she was different. Her hair was longer with strands of white that she didn't have back then but there was something in her eyes and it made her look jaded.
The paladin was interrupted in his appraisal when they stopped moving, he lifted his head to stare at the door of the prison. It was ajar, moonlight filtered through the crack and Casavir could smell the fresh air; just a few steps he would be outside, he could almost taste his freedom. Daphia smiled at him and pushed the door and they both stepped outside into the courtyard. It was nearing dawn and they had little time to waste.
Daphia urged Casavir forward making way to the grate that would lead them into the sewer and out of the city. She was feeling guilty that she was about to subject Casavir to more filth and bad odors. She promised herself that she would make it up to him. They made it halfway before Eben appeared from behind a colun.
"That's quite far enough Knight-Captain!" Eben smiled as he spoke enjoying the astonished look on Daphia's face.
"How?" She asked.
"Well, I wasn't sure at first but seeing that you freed him." He pointed at Casavir. "It was rather easy to deduce that you are indeed Knight-Captain Amberstone. Not even Nasher would mount a rescue. Politics, I'm sure you understand." Eben grinned at her thinking himself quite clever.
"Get out of the way Eben, even without my magic I'm more than a match for you." She growled in false bravado taking one step forward, trying to make him cower.
"Not a wise move, Knight-Captain, I did not come alone." Eben smiled, not at all put off at her display of bravado. Luskan soldiers poured into the courtyard to surround them. She looked up and spotted quite a few archers in the rafters. She untangled herself from Casavir confident that he would be able to stand on his own.
The wizard looked about the courtyard. They were surrounded and there was no hope of getting out of here unscathed using the direct approach. She had no choice. Throwing caution to the wind she started to whisper, casting a sleep spell.
"She's casting!" one of the soldiers shouted and panic ensued. She didn't have time to utter the last arcane syllable; something hit her right in the chest with the sound of shattering glass and she was thrown back a few feet landing on her back, numb.
"My lady! NO!"
She heard Casavir's anguished cry as he moved over her using his body as a shield to protect her from the arrows raining on them. She could not move or talk. She wanted to tell him to leave her. He was so close to freedom. Breathing was becoming a chore. The only sound that came out of her mouth was a choked sob as she saw the pain on his face after few arrows found their marks.
At least this way, we'll be together in the afterlife. Her thoughts ended on this bitter note before darkness claimed her.
Merrill was pacing in her house talking to herself: this wasn't supposed to happen. She looked at the two bleeding humans on the floor amidst small pieces of broken glass.
"What do I do? What do I do? Oh I know! I need to get Hawke." Still talking to herself, she stopped short of going outside.
"No wait! Bleeding humans, I'll get Anders. He'll know what to do!" The blood mage walked out of her house, locking the door. It wouldn't do her much good if someone entered her house by mistake and saw the wounded humans lying in a pool of blood. Merrill then went into Darktown to get Anders.
AN: Well here it is! the first chapter of my Neverwinter Nights 2/ Dragon Age 2 crossover. The idea came to me after a wierd dicussion on the DA2 Grey Wardem armor and how good it would look on Casavir if he could get his hands on one. I hope you guys like it and unlike my previous attempt, I'll try to update it as soon as I am able.
A special thank you to Lywinis for beta-ing my work and to the girls on the Sebastian FB group.