The night my uncle's family was murdered, I wanted to run away across the Waking Sea, to the dual-walled city of Ostwick and back in the safety of my family's arms. They would comfort me and tell me that everything was all right. But everything was not all right: my uncle, his wife, his daughter-in-law and his grandson were dead; his heir, Fergus, went ahead with most of the soldiers to Ostagar; and his other son, Aedan, and I were somewhere in the bannorn with a Grey Warden on our way, not to safety, but to the frontlines of the war against the darkspawn. I remember telling Aedan that we could go to my family and ask them for help. He smiled at me and ruffled my hair, both of our cheeks streaming with tears. "We have to be brave now," he said.
I tried to be brave. It was not easy. I was hurting, physically and emotionally. I wanted to curl up and hide. But Aedan was there and he was hurting, too. His entire family was dead. So there we were huddled under an enormous tree, raindrops trickling through the thick leaves - me, barely out of my studies and not even Harrowed, Aedan, the formal arms of the Couslands given to him only that morning and one smelly mabari giving us wet, doggy kisses.
Back then I repeatedly whispered the Trevelyan family motto: Modest in temper, bold in deed. It got me through the night and the days after. I wonder now if it would help through this new trial or would I need a new mantra more befitting to face the wrath of heaven.
~o~
I woke up to a searing pain in my left hand. Wrenching my eyes open, I looked at my hand, expecting it to be bleeding open. Well, it was ripped open somewhat but instead of the blood that was expected, sparks of energy emanated from my palm. What the fuck? Why is it glowing green? It throbbed again and I tried to smother the agony with my other hand but unable to. Both my hands were encased in manacles. It was then that I noticed that I was surrounded by four soldiers, each with his sword pointed at me. What was going on? I was on my knees in the middle of a dungeon. The air was dank and musty, the floor was cold. All the cells were empty. Am I in the Temple's dungeons?
The door to the room opened and two women came in. One of them had black, short hair with a stern face and an expression that would immediately warn anyone not to mess with her. She was garbed in armor with an all-seeing eye emblazoned on the center. She is a Seeker then. While the Seeker walked with assured steps, the other woman was light on her feet. Her face was hooded but a chance light briefly illuminated her features: short red-hair, pale skin and eyes that could take in anything and everything in a room at once. I know that face. It has been ten years but I know that face.
"Leliana?" I asked in confusion. I hadn't seen her for ten years. I knew she became the Left Hand of the Divine. When the rebellion broke out, rumors were whispered about that the Hands of the Divine had been seen travelling all over southern Thedas. If she was here, then this other woman must be the Right Hand, Cassandra Pentaghast.
This could not be good.
The Seeker looked sharply at me. She nodded silently at Leliana then stood in front of me.
"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now. The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you."
The Conclave is destroyed? "What happened? What do you mean everyone is dead?" I asked in disbelief.
The Seeker ignored my questions, took my left hand and shook it front of my face. "Explain this."
"I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?" She demanded.
"I don't know what that is or how it got there."
"You're lying!" She lunged for me and was about to throw a punch when Leliana stopped her.
"We need her, Cassandra."
"Leliana, I know you vouched for her identity with what you knew of her during the Blight; but ten years is a long time…"
"At least give her a chance to explain," Leliana admonished. She turned to me, "Do you remember what happened? How this began?"
My memories were fuzzy. The last thing I remembered clearly was taking my leave of Uncle Nicky. "I remember running. I was… running from things. Skittering… Things were chasing me, then… A woman?"
"A woman?"
"She reached out to me, but then…"I struggled to remember more but I just couldn't.
There was a beat of silence, both of them staring at me. The Seeker gave a sigh and turned to her companion, "Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the rift."
Leliana nodded and left.
Cassandra turned back to me and released me from the manacles but bound my wrists together with a rope. "What did happen?" Please, someone tell me what's going on.
"It will be easier to show you," she said tiredly as she helped me stand.
She led me from the dungeons, up the stairs and across a large hall. It was smaller than anything I had seen in the Temple. Perhaps an outer building attached to the main one. The Seeker guided me through the double doors and out into the cold.
Snow blanketed everything. Here and there, tents were set up in-between buildings. Evergreen trees surrounded the area, snow-capped mountains acted as a backdrop. Haven. We were at the village in the lower valley. But something was wrong: a haze hovered in the air, everything was bathed in a soft, glowing green light. Puzzled, I looked up at the sky.
"What is that?" I whispered, horrified.
Clouds churned around a swirling mass of green in the sky. Right in the center was a gigantic hole. It was pulsing and my left hand echoed with it. Chunks and globs frequently rained down from the center.
"We call it "The Breach". It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It's not the only such rift. Just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."
"An explosion can do that?"
"This one did. Unless we act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world."
A beat, then my hand erupted in pain. At the same moment, the Breach suddenly emitted a large quantity of energy. Screaming, I sank to my knees. Maker, thrice damn this thing! I shook my head as I tried to go past the pain.
Cassandra went to my side and knelt beside me. "Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads… and it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn't much time."
"You say it may be the key," I hissed through gritted teeth. "To doing what exactly?"
"Closing the Breach. Whether that's possible is something that we shall discover shortly."
"How do you know that this painful, glowing thing in my hand is connected with… the Breach?"
She gave me an Are you stupid? look.
"Riiiight. Great. The explosion made me dumb as well."
"It is our only chance… and yours." There was something in her voice that reminded me of where I found myself waking up.
"You still think I did this to myself?" I said incredulously and looked at her like she was the stupid one this time.
"Not intentionally. Something clearly went wrong."
"And if I am not responsible?" I asked haughtily.
"Someone is, and you are our only suspect. You wish to prove your innocence? This is the only way."
"Do I have a choice?" Maybe doing this would help me understand what was going on. Or maybe I just wanted someone who could give me the answers I needed and perhaps take the glowing thing off me. "I understand. I'll do what I can."
She helped me to my feet again and we proceeded to walk through the village. I saw some of the people lying in cots, being tended by healers. Soldiers were erecting new tents. Most of them, however, stopped what they were doing and looked at us as we were passing by. Their heavy gazes were pinned on me. There was fear and confusion but the most prominent expression was anger and barely held violence. I had an inkling that the presence of the Seeker was the only thing preventing them from mobbing me.
"They have decided your guilt," Cassandra said, noticing the stares. "They need it. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers. It was a chance for peace between mages and templars. She brought their leaders together. Now, they are dead."
It wasn't exactly right. Grand Enchanter Fiona and Lord Seeker Lucius sent representatives in their stead. I remembered Maxwell wryly saying to me, in one of the session breaks, that they must have thought they were going to be double-crossed. I agreed with him and we passed the hour tossing theories of assassination back and forth, the likelihood of each method, and our laughter, getting outlandish by the minute.
Assassination theories are not things to be thinking about when you're being targeted by not-so-friendly stares. This is not very fun, Maxwell.
"We lash out, like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves. As she did. Until the Breach is sealed." She stopped before a set of doors and turned to me. "There will be a trial. I can promise no more." She cut the ropes binding my hands. "Come. It is not far."
Rubbing my sore wrists, I hastened to follow her across the walkway that connected Haven to the path leading to the Temple. "Where are you taking me?"
"Your mark must be tested on something smaller than the Breach," she said, her long gait quickly taking her across.
"You mean the smaller rifts," I said. I noticed bodies were lined up on the sides of the walkway. How many were slain?
"Yes." She called out to the guards. "Open the gate! We are heading into the valley."
Soldiers were running up and down the path. The injured were being carted in makeshift beddings slung between two able-bodied soldiers. Most were heading up the path as we did, exhaustion, worry and fear etched into their faces. "Maker! It's the end of the world!" One of them cried. It certainly looks like it is.
Another pulse emitted from the Breach, more globs of what I assumed was a part of the Fade rained down from it, just as white-hot pain from my hand made me fall flat onto my face. This is getting old.
"The pulses are coming faster now. The larger the Breach grows, the more rifts appear, the more demons we face."
"How did I survive the blast?" I asked as I sat up.
"They said you… stepped out of a rift. Then fell unconscious," Cassandra hesitated. "They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was."
The Trevelyans, for all their strong ties to the Chantry, were not the overly religious sort who ascribed everything to the Chant of Light. Belief in a higher being, in the Maker, was there but exercising faith was done prudently and without prejudice. Cedric would name every possible female ever venerated. Henry would say it was a demon. While Maxwell would…
I paused. There was something extremely wrong here, more so than the Breach.
"Wait!" I called out to the Seeker. "Are you sure you haven't found any other survivors?"
"No. You are the only one found alive."
Panic descended. "Maxwell! By the Maker! Where is he!?" I turned to the Seeker. "Have you seen my brother?! His name is Maxwell Trevelyan. I don't know if he proceeded with his plan to come down to Haven to assist the apothecary with the refugees, but… Please, Seeker, I need to know where my brother is."
"I am sorry. We could…"
The Seeker never finished her sentence. Just as we were crossing another bridge, one of the Fade globs hit the structure. Heavy stones and wood were blasted everywhere and the bridge collapsed, sending Cassandra and me rolling down among the debris to the frozen lake below, barely escaping some of the larger stones. Groaning, I took stock of my body. Nothing seemed to be broken although I took note of the numerous scrapes down my arms.
A burst of green came hurtling down and a demon materialized in front of us.
"They're falling from the Breach!?" I screeched.
"Stay behind me!" commanded Cassandra as she unsheathed her sword and engaged the shade.
Another surge of energy bubbled a few feet from me. I staggered backwards, struggling to stand up as I looked around wildly for a weapon I could use. All I could see were broken crates, loose stones and a few lemons. Unless I want to make a lemonade out of demon guts… I looked to Cassandra but she was occupied with the first shade. The demon finished coalescing. Shit. Nothing to it then. I summoned my magic and directed it to the loose stones strewn about. A pebble didn't even move. Something was wrong. It was like a heavy blanket dampened the link between me and the Fade. No, that wasn't right. It was more like the pathways that connected my magic and my conscious control were rearranged and nothing was familiar. Ugh. Not now! I debated whether to bid fire instead but calling for fire without the aid of a staff always ended in my magic really going out of control. The mark, on the other hand, was sputtering.
The demon raised its claws and slashed down. I rolled backwards to avoid the swipe but it caught my right shoulder. I hissed in pain. I turned back to it as it tried to spill my intestines again. I Fade-stepped to the left, pivoted on my right foot and aimed a kick to its side. It staggered back, it wasn't even daunted. It glided quickly to me. I made to kick it again but it caught my foot. I went down and I was dragged towards it, the shade readying its claws. I scrambled to take purchase on the ice but I couldn't hold on to anything. Desperate, I threw my left hand out, praying that the energy I felt would be enough.
It was enough. A large block of the collapsed bridge slammed onto it, releasing me. I stood up and directed the energy to the smaller debris and launched them into the demon, tearing it to shreds. I pelted it with lemons for good measure. The demon howled as it dissolved. Satisfied, I released the energy.
"Stand down!" Cassandra came at me with her sword held in front of her.
Startled at her vehemence, I raised my hands in surrender.
"You're a mage."
"I am," I conceded. "Not a very good mage right now. I seem to have misplaced my magic and the Fade is all wonky."
She hesitated but she sheathed her sword. "I cannot protect you and I cannot expect you to be defenseless. I should remember you agreed to come willingly." She noticed the gashes on my shoulder, sighed, then rummaged through the pouch that hung from her belt. "Take these potions. Maker knows what we will face. We are going to the forward camp first. Most of the soldiers are fighting. We are on our own for now."
