Chapter 1 Transfer

Tempest sat atop her horse enjoying the sunshine as she road with her four Templar watchers. Having turned twenty recently she found herself being sent to a new tower though wasn't sure why. "Mason I'm hungry." She leaned back on her horse looking at him upside down.

"You will eat soon enough."

"Pffft you said that an hour ago."

She glanced over at Laurie "Don't look at me I'm not giving you anything."

"Selfish Templar." She stuck her tongue out at him and he just shook his head. Her stomach rumbled and she poked at it and spoke loudly "I told you I was hungry."

"Maker help me, where do you put it all you can't weigh more than a few stones." Mason rides up to her and pulls a snack out of his pack.

"Here this should tide you over."

"Thank you!"

She eats the cookies slowly trying to make them last. When they see a broken down cart on the highway "Jolie check it out." Mason says to her. Jolie urged her horse forward as she looked around and shakes her head. The rest start to ride up when a fireball slams right on top of her killing her instantly "Ambush!" Laurie yells and jumped off of his horse.

Tempest watched in horror as Jolie burned to a black husk. She was no stranger to death but to see someone you've known for years die in an instant shook her deeply. Then it hit her, the smell of blood. "BLOOD MAGE!" her horse reared up and she struggled to keep it in control. The men rushed down getting ready to fight. She growled unable to help them due to her hands being tied. It was her punishment for stealing cookies from Mason's pack earlier.

The men were beginning to fall and Tempest jumped off her horse as Mason is rocked to the ground with Laurie. "Cut me free so I can help you." They look at her dubiously "You would fight your own kind?"

"They are not my kind." She hissed. Laurie cuts the bands on her wrists and she fells the pulse of her magic throbbing against her begging to be freed.

"You should have thought twice before hitting our caravan." She snarled and the men just laughed. She feels them trying to force their will onto her and she smirks. "Your mind tricks won't work on me you filthy blood mages. I plan to send you to the darkness." Her hands rose and from the ground swirling masses of burning blades spin dangerously "Because of you we are punished because of you we are not allowed to be free I will wipe you all from existence!"

As her hands slam down the blades slam into all of the mages. Snatching her fist back the blades explode. The mages are writhing on the ground crying out. She flicked her wrist and a sphere of flames appears and she tosses it on them and their screams are silenced by the flames.

Tempest looked over at Mason and Laurie who are wounded. "Stay still, you two."

"What, what spell was that?" Mason asked gasping.

"It is a Divine spell." She says nothing else and heals the two men. The horses had run but returned trained not to go very far. "Can you two ride?"

"Yes…" they got up. Their bags have been destroyed their lyrium smashed. She only had a bottle left it would not be enough. A week passed and both of them are starting on withdrawals. At night they would cry out and she would sit between them rubbing their foreheads pushing her magic into them giving them enough to last through the next day.

They were strong and were able to keep sane enough to not try and kill her though they had come close a couple of times. Mason had to pry Laurie off of her when he thought she was one of the blood mages in one of his fits. They were all exhausted, Tempest had barely slept, and portioning out her magic to them was draining. Sleeping shut their bodies down so they did not use too much magic and they got some from when they were in the fade.

They were near Lake Calenhad and the tower that Tempest had been transferred to. "You should sleep Tempest." Mason's hands were shaking and she grabbed them.

"Go to sleep you need it more than I do." She says smiling softly. He sits down and she sets her roll in between them.

"Will you rub our foreheads like you do?" Laurie asked sweetly his eyes were glazed and she knew he wasn't talking to her but someone he saw in his mind, perhaps his mother.

"Of course lie down." They lay down and she placed fingertips on their foreheads and ran them across their face. The pained expressions started to relax as they drift off.

When morning came they began to wake and Tempest whimpers in pain. She had spent the whole night pushing the rest of her magic into them so that they would make it to the tower.

"Maker Tempest!" Mason growled reaching out to touch her.

"Ow...Mason…it hurts…everything hurts…" she rolls into a fetal position.

"Come on Laurie we need to get her to the tower now!"

Laurie wrapped her up in a blanket and handed her over to Mason. They reached the dock within a few hours. "Take us across quickly." The man in the boat nodded and moved as swiftly as he could.

"Is this fresh water or salt?" he asked the man.

"Fresh ser." Mason reached down and grabbed some water and ran it across her broken and bleeding lips.

Laurie jumped out first and rushed to the doors and pushed them open "I need Lyrium now!" Mason you see was a Knight Vigilant so when he barked the men ran. Several bottles of Lyrium were given and he poured some in her mouth and took a huge swig for him and more for her. She groaned as the magic rushed through her. Laurie drank some Lyrium and then took over giving her Lyrium so Mason could drink some more while a healer came and looked him over.

"Knight Vigilant it is an honor to have you here." The man was assumed to be the Knight Commander. He bowed with respect to Mason who nodded "Thank you Knight Commander."

He walked back over to her and looked down. "So Tempest you feel well enough to get up?"

She sighs "I may be inclined for a cookie."

"Maker's breath girl you stole all of my cookies from my pack or did you forget our little discussion and subsequent punishment for said theft."

"I was hungry."

"You are always hungry."

Her gaze turns to Laurie "You ate all my cookies and even if I had any I wouldn't share them with you."

"Such a lie you would too." she started to get up and wobbled when they both grabbed an elbow.

"Everything is spinning and wobbling…Oh I, I think I'm going to be sick." Laurie snatched her up and ran outside with when all of the lyrium she had just ingested made its way right back out. "Laurie I, I don't feel right." Collapsing to the ground Mason rushed out.

"What happened?" he looked her over.

"She's out, probably in the fade." Laurie picked her up and carried her inside. "Do you have someplace we can lay her Knight Commander?"

"Of course follow me."

"Where in the maker…great the fade…this place is so dismal." She glances around starts making things more to her liking adding flowers, trees and rivers. Humming quietly she looks over at the black city and wonders if there would ever be a way to get to it. Was there a way for mage to fix the wrong that had occurred to cleanse the stain that had been made by their forefathers? As she walks slowly toward it a voice is heard.

"Hello."

She jumps "Maker you startled me, uh hello which spirit are you."

"Compassion."

"Oh that's nice."

"I know why you are here." He says as she made her way through the winding path continually adding flowers everywhere she went.

"You do?"

"Yes you spent the very last of your magic to save two Templars very odd for a mage isn't it?"

"I suppose but I try not to judge people based on what they are or do, too many do that to us."

"Where are you headed?" he asks

"I don't know the black city maybe?" her voice is casual but the spirit panics.

"You cannot go there!"

"Why not? There must be some way to fix the city to undo the damage…" her thoughts wandered.

"It is a dangerous path if you wish to walk it mortal." The spirit says to her.

"I'm a mage spirit, my whole life is danger."

As Tempest woke she could hear Mason talking.

"We will be leaving in the morning. Knight Commander I am sure you are up to the task of watching over our Tempest are you not."

"Of course Ser."

"Good, are you hungry Tempest?" He looks back at his young charge. Her dark red hair is scattered everywhere and dark green eyes are wincing as she rubs her forehead. Her head nods and he sighs.

"Why do I even ask? Come on let's get some food in you before you pass out again."

They walk to the kitchen where the cook puts down plates and food. Sitting with Mason and Laurie one last time her voice is on the verge of breaking. "Will I see both again?"

Sad smiles answer her "Perhaps child, one day." Templers walked by wanting to catch a glimpse of a Knight Vigilant.

The morning was horrible for Tempest she had cried most of the night. When Mason saw her he sighed "No more tears now Tempest. I already told the Knight Commander of your thieving ways and your habit of setting templar skirts on fire when they irritate you. "She paled considerably "I don't think they will have much patience for it here. Now take care Tempest and try to hold out at least a week in being good." Mason walks over and hugged her quickly causing a murmur of surprise. Never had they seen a Templar much less a Knight Vigilant so warm to a mage.

Laurie's eyes are slightly red when he hands her a box. "Don't eat them all at once." She smiled and hugged him "I will miss you Laurie."

"I will miss you to."

Her grip was tight against the box as the Templars walked out of the door the only family she had ever known was now gone. Straightening her back she turned back around the Knight Commander Gregoir and First Enchanter Irving.

"Would you like a cookie?" She offered and Irving is the first to smile.

"He told us of your little obsession, you keep those hopefully it will keep you out of trouble with the cook for a while." she took one out and ate it in consolation.

Irving sent her back upstairs with everyone else "Do what you like for now until we can find a suitable schedule for you."

Tempest found her herself humming as she used to do when wandering the halls of her former home. Walking around she spots a Templar standing watch. Stopping front of him she smiled "I am Tempest, I am new in the tower who are you?"

He glared at her "I am Ser Cullen Mage."

"Well then Templar Ser Cullen would you like a cookie?" She held the box open.

"Is this some sort of trick?"

"Uh no why would I use a cookie to trick you?" her eyes confused as she looked up at him.

His eyes narrowed "No thank you."

"Okay." she left him but got the feeling he was watching as she hummed down the hall to the library.

Her heart leapt at the amount of books available to read. Grabbing the first book that interested her Tempest settled in to read, eating another cookie while doing so.

A shriek diverted her attention "What are you doing you can't eat in here?" A mage was yelling at her loudly.

"Really I didn't see a sign that said that." she says looking around.

"You, you just can't eat in here it is just known."

"Huh, well unless there is some sort of written rule about me not eating my cookies in here. I am eating them." She bit into it and chewed it slowly in front of her riling the mage up to no end.

"I will see you punished you impudent little..."

"Hmm what? What am I?" the girl stomped off.

Moments later the mage and Ser Cullen the Templar were staring angrily at her. "This mage says you've been eating cookies in the library."

She looked up at him and her nostrils flared he was far too good looking to be a Templar. His dark reddish blonde hair was cut short yet still exposing the wavy hair he had. Amber eyes with thick lashes that most girls would kill for glared at her.

"And if I was." She said holding back her smile.

"It's forbidden." His voice was tense.

"And where does it say that?" her tone light and jesting.

"It just is." He snarled.

"Uh-huh well until you show me positive proof and I mean written law that I cannot eat my cookies in the library. I will eat them."

Everyone was watching the turn of events. She pulled another cookie out and bit down on it "Are you sure you don't want one."

He turned so red everyone thought he was going to strangle her right then and there. He snatched her box of cookies. Then the arm holding the cookie and started dragging her down the hall.

"Wait let me just get…" she tried reaching for the cookie when he jerked her into Irving's room.

Gregoire was there at the time and the two men looked up to see Cullen close to strangling Tempest and her still trying to reach the cookie in her hand.

"What seems to be the problem Templar Cullen?" Gregoir asks.

"This mage refuses to stop eating cookies in the library, she willfully disobeyed." He voice curt.

"Technically no, you never told me "Mage Tempest stop eating the cookie right now." You just said it was forbidden, I asked for proof. Now had you asked me to stop eating the cookie, I would have." His grip tightened around her arm and she winced but said nothing.

"There is in no rule against eating in the library. But I ask that you do not for the sake of everyone's sanity." Irving said watching her with amusement.

"Of course it would be my pleasure." She looked at Cullen "Are you sure you don't want a cookie?"

He shoved the box into her chest she grabbed hold of it as he stomped off. She looked at Irving "If would have just taken the cookie this could have been avoided."

Looking down at her box she frowns "Oh there is only one left." She took it out and bit into it. "Mmm Maker I hope Laurie left the recipe for the cook." As she left Gregoir and Irving looked at each other and then shook their heads.

"Of all the places to send one like her they send her here." Gregoir sighed. "Well never mind, what were we discussing…"