From Shadows We Rise
Chapter 1: Blinding Light
The last breath of a target. It lasts but a second, but in that second, so much is released. Every moment of that person's life draws to oblivion. Every relationship they have dissolves and every moment of joy they have experienced is no longer relevant to the world. The world goes on though their line in that timeline draws to a close. Everything they have ever done no longer has meaning and they will never see the light of the next day. That last breath of a target; what could mean more to them than that last second?
My name is Káleb. I am an elf from Rivain. My father and mother were killed long before my earliest memory. That memory just so happens to be when my real life began. I was an urchin child living in the pirate city Llomerryn. I stole food when I could and got work as a messenger boy for the local crime factions whenever the opportunity arisen. I was completely worthless. If I were to die in the streets, not a soul would recognize my corpse or mourn my loss.
Like many other children of the streets I was kidnapped by raiders from my bed in the warrens. A bag was forced over my head and when it was removed I was on a ship, huddled with hundreds of other victims in the cargo hold. We were to be sold as slaves in the Tevinter Imperium; a fate some said to be worse than death. Fear coiled around my spine and paralyzed me.
We had spent several days on the ship as it rocked over the treacherous waters of the Amaranthine Ocean, it could easily have been longer. Time has a way of evading you when the light of day is taken from your eyes. However, on the last day of our voyage fortune seemed to smile on me. As the slaves and I all stood there with nothing but our despair, the sound of scruffy footsteps on the deck startled our tired minds. Swords began to clang above the wooden ceiling and blood dripped between the boards. Hours later, the trapdoor to the deck opened and a figure stood there in between pillars of blinding sunlight.
"Come on, get out of there, quickly!" she instructed excitedly. My hands sheltered my eyes from the light as we all huddled towards the ladder. One by one we scurried up until we could taste the fresh air of the sea breeze. I remember little of my savior. She was a pirate, no doubt and skilled with a blade; more so than the rest of the crew it seemed anyway. She disappeared after that, leaving us all to our fate. She had saved us; the rest was up to us.
Chapter 2: Raven Feather
The world is an unforgiving place, especially for an elf. Where does an elf with no home go? It was strange. I had never had a home, never had anywhere to return to; this had never really bothered me. But now that had changed. My kidnapping showed me how dangerous the world is for someone like me. I felt I needed somewhere to call home.
I made my way south. I was young but I was no fool. I was aware of what was happening around me. I listened to the news on the streets or the rumors in local taverns. I knew that a hero had saved Fereldan from the blight and that he was aided by a host of unlikely companions. The Grey Wardens were said to be great warriors and I had heard much about them. I had heard about this Hero of elven blood gathering an army and striking the darkspawn down like a disease in need of purging. I also knew that one of his aids in that battle was the Dalish; the last true Elven. It was with them I had placed my hope of finding a home.
The pirate had docked in Amaranthine. I knew little of life south of the Waking Sea. The sun was warmer here than it was in Rivain. The wind smelled sweeter and the sky bluer than I had ever seen. Life seemed more at ease despite my new path. I did not know where to go. Where do you search for the people who never stop walking? Who do you ask for help when you are hated so enthusiastically by those you have no history with? Being an elf is a dangerous business when you do it alone. I knew where to start at the very least. The taste of mead and ale does much to loosen the tongues of the Shemlan.
The tavern was as I expected, busy. Humans and their drink; it would be a rarity to find one where the other was absent. I stole a black hooded shirt and some lapels from one of the market stalls earlier. I wore them, keeping the hood up to hide my ears as best I could. I sat in the corner and kept watch for someone who I thought could be of use. I needed either a local or a traveler who was not already lost in his flask.
"You are a long way from home, young one" said a voice from my left. I jumped in my skin at the person who had just sat next to me without my noticing. He too wore a hood. His eyes were concealed leaving only his wicked smile visible. "What is your name?" he asked me. I did not speak. I just stared at this stranger. He was sitting but I could tell he was a tall man. His black hair hung down to brush lightly on his shoulders. He had sharp facial features and a scar on his bottom lip stretching down his chin. "Your name" he repeated, though his composure remained calm.
"Kaleb" I told him after I broke from my pertrification. He smiled as he reached for his flask.
"Well Kaleb, what business do you have here in Amaranthine? This is a strange place indeed for an elf." he said. My jaw fell as his last word hung in the air. This amused him, it seemed. "You know how to remain unnoticed" he said as a compliment, "But not how to remain unseen.'tis a new level of subtle you may be eager to learn. Now, what is your business here?" he again repeated with the same air of stability.
"I seek news of the Dalish." I told him, despite how unsavory he seemed. His nose crinkled as he raised his head. I saw his deep set blue eyes for the first time only to see them under the shadow of his knitted brow.
"The Dalish, no doubt in hope of shelter, perhaps even permanent residence?" he asked, though he seemed to have worked out my entire plan alone.
"Indeed; and why do you find such interest in the plans of an elf?" I asked him. His face softened and returned to the smile that he had had before. He took a sip of his drink and returned it to the table, a droplet navigating through his stubble.
"I have watched you since you entered the city. That cloak you claimed was a work of naturally deft hands. You are a skilled thief and I find myself curious of how far your potential stretches."
"My potential" I echoed. "Potential in what?". He remained silent, though his smile lingered. I waited for his answer. None came. I shifted nervously in my seat until the silence became too much to bare. I decided to change topic. "Who are you? I asked him. His smile widened
"Depends who you ask" he said cryptically. He did not seem to want to elaborate.
"And if I ask you?" I pressed. He laughed out loud. He gave me a long hard look after regaining composure.
"Curiosity is a dangerous thing, young one. Have you not noticed the lingering eyes on our table by those around us?" he asked. Only then was my attention turned away from him. I looked to the other drinkers and for the first time realised how suspicious they were of either the stranger or myself. As an elf I was accustomed to attracting unwanted eyes. This man however was no elf. People looked at him with a sense of fear, as if keeping an eye on where he was made them feel safer. This made me even more curious.
"Why do these people stare at you so?" I asked as my eyes narrowed on a passing local.
"Unlike you Kaleb, they know of my reputation. Tell me, what do you know of the White Ravens?" he asked. The name was familiar. I had heard it many times in passing though it had no meaning to my ears.
"Nothing but the name, I'm afraid" I said after a few seconds of recollection.
"From where do you come from?" he asked me, seemingly changing the topic.
"I have lived in Llomerryn for as long as I can remember"
"Well then I am impressed to hear you have at least heard of us. The Ravens seldom leave the reaches of Tevinter, Fereldan, the Free Marches, Nevarra and Orlais. Rivain has very little need of assassin's and Antiva is dominated by the Crows. The White Ravens are their only real competition." He told me.
"You" I said, faltering at the word, ", are an assassin?" I managed to say quietly. He smiled and took another calm sip of his drink.
"Indeed. I am Denathor, and I wish to invite you to train under my command to become the ultimate weapon. What say you?"
Chapter 3: Plain Sight
The White Ravens, I learned were a guild of assassins rivaled only by the Antivan Crows. Their headquarters was hidden in the North of Fereldan a few miles east of the entrance to Orzammar. They indeed were a large team of highly trained assassins thought their ethics differed from the Crows. The Crows were nothing but killers; skilled mercenaries; dogs to be hired for nothing but to serve the greed or cowardice of those unable to do their own dirty work. The Ravens were very different. The White Ravens considered themselves the opposite of the Crows; competition not in money or success but in war. They were fighting a battle that no one but those involved knew about. The Ravens had intended to keep unnoticed by the public but of course, word eventually slipped. Though they were now known, nothing but the name ever lingered on the tongues of the ignorant.
Denathor was a Raven. He was one of fourteen chieftains of the Ravens, his authority being over the Ravens of East Fereldan.
"Why me?" I asked him. I could not help but think he had a very large selection of people to choose from and that I must not have been very high on a priority list of any sort. His smile did not fade.
"You show great potential. By our laws I can only have one student at any time and when I choose I make sure to choose well. It is also in our laws that we take in someone of your current situation; orphaned, lost and in need of a home. We are not evil, Kaleb. Yes, we kill, but we do so with nothing but valid motif and a heavy heart." His smile finally diminished. I saw into his eyes and he seemed to be recalling his time with the Ravens. He did not seem to do so fondly.
"Very well" I said. He looked to me, paused and nodded.
"Do not make this decision lightly young one. To do this you are committing yourself to a new life."
"Any life is better than the one I currently lead" I replied He nodded again, this time much less noticeably.
"We leave immediately. Do you have anything to collect?"
"Not but the clothes I wear"
"Then let us make haste".