Denial chapter 4
"There's a letter for you on the desk." She entered the grimy low town house she claimed as home, at least for now anyway. Soon after her and Caver had cleared the Amell estate did their mother begin to petition the Viscount for the lost property. How Gamlen could just gamble it away as if it was nothing more than a wallop mallet she will never understand.
Slipping past him she plucked the letter from the table and headed to the back room where Carver sat polishing his blade. Taking a seat across him she opened the letter and began to read.
"That elf is a right piece of work." Carver spoke without stopping his polish. Ava couldn't help but look at her brother with a small smile. "We agree at last." It was true her Brother and herself did not see eye to eye most times but they did knowhow to tolerate each other.
"Then why bother, sister?"
She brought down the letter in a frustrated sigh. With all the hiding she seemed to do, she could never escape notice whether it be from her family or the bloody Templars themselves. "Look Carver, my doings are my own. When I choose to include you , I'll let you know." She rose from the bed and grabbed her stave in the corner.
"Where are you going? Carver asked ignoring his sister's miniature outbreak. He replaced the cloth back in the drawer.
She fastened her belt. "To go collect Anders and Fenris. Then I'm off to the wounded coast."
Realigning her robes she heard him sheath his sword, the metal making the softest sound against it's leather case. He smiled up at her. "Off we go then."
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"Kill him and we can escape." Ava starred at Grace as she processed what the other mage had asked of her. Surely she couldn't be suggesting she kill Thrask?
"Sister, you can't really be thinking of what she asks?" Carver's voice rang out and snapped her back. He was right. What would doing this accomplish except give her more scrutiny under the Templar's eyes? And even if Grace and the others could escape after killing Thrask they would never make it out of the Free Marches not without being captured. No she couldn't go through with it.
"No." her voice rang out as forceful and foreign to her ears. In the end they will be safe. We all will.
"Surely you can't condemn-" she held up her hand before Anders could continue his thought. "They accompanied a blood mage. Regardless of what they should be punished."
"Punished? WE'LL BE KILLED!" grace's voice rang out in frustration.
"Not if you go quietly. I will make sure of it." It was the least she could do. "I am sorry but you must return to the circle."
"Fine." Grace slumped in defeat. "I do not wish any more of us dead. We will go peacefully.
She turned back the way she came and rejoined her companions explaining what the agreement was.
"We shall go make sure the way out is clear." Ava nodded toward the exit and her companions followed.
As they made their way, Ava couldn't help but think of what Fenris had said in the gallows. All mages truly are susceptible to temptation. The thought made a shiver run through her spine. She knew all mages were not like that but just the thought brought a small fear to her heart. Is this how Templar's see them?
She slowed her pace as her thoughts began to wonder from one thought to another. The mouth of a corridor slowed in its approach. Was she really doing the right thing? She was a free mage herself, who was she to stop the will of others.
She felt Carver's hand on her shoulder and turned to him. He nodded and she felt herself smile. It was moments like this where she truly appreciated –
Carver's arm fell from her shoulder and Ava tumbled forward on to the floor. Even though she hand prepared to catch herself on her hands, the sheer force of the push caused her to skid and scrap her palms. "Well, shit." She could her the feet of the other mages running behind it, coming to see what commotion had stopped Ava's party from leaving the chamber. She flipped over briefly looking at her bloody palms before acknowledging the shadow above her. Looking up, she came face to face with Anders and it took all that she had not to hit him. Instead she felt flames lick at her finger tips as she growled in frustration. "What the hell is your problem?" she stayed down scared that with all the energy building inside her she would hurt someone if she moved.
"I can't believe you're sending them straight into the Templar's hands!" he tried to stand over her, to block her from rising but carver pulled him back restraining his hands until she stood fully up right.
"I have no choice! You want me to condemn them to the wilds where their guaranteed all but a day alive?" she was fully aware at the mage standing behind her but she lost all care. Anders had over stepped his lines when it came to 'the plight of the mage'.
"You have every choice!" his voice rose, echoing off the cave walls. Looking closely you could see the slightest tinge of blue in his eyes. "Who are you to decided there fate!"
She closed her eyes and tried to focus. The flames in her hand became more real and she knew the others could see them now as well. This is what Fenris warned her about. The power. This power that all the mages in Tevinter strove to achieve. It would be so easy to just eliminate everyone here and now. All it took was one fireball and Anders and the other mages would be nothing but a scorch in the sand.
No. she couldn't. if she did she would become everything her father had trained her not to be. No better than Decimus or any of the other blood mages she had to kill here. She couldn't do it.
Slowly she felt the power drain from her. The flames retreated back to where ever their source had been and before she knew it she was on the floor once again staring at her bloody palms.
"Are you crazy?" Anders shouted at her, starting up the argument that had just ended. But thankfully nothing could harm their other companions this time from intervening. Before she knew it Carver had wrestled him out the chamber and stood by the small door blocking further entrance. She glanced behind her and saw that all the mages had retook their places against the far side of the room to avoid any harm. The looks on their faces made her feel terrible. Fear, pure fear.
Her head sunk down, her palms faced up. It would be so easy to do a simple healing spell but she didn't wish to chance the magic. She didn't need to lose control again.
Footsteps echoed and she saw a shadow approach her. She didn't look to see who it was. To be honest she didn't really care. That is not until she hear the ripping of fabric. She looked up to find Fenris holding to equal lengths of what could have only been the shirt they had found early that day. Carefully he took her hands and wrapped each one tightly to stop the bleeding. "This should suffice until you can see a healer when we get back."
She merely nodded. Surely after her display he wouldn't approach her like this. It had been the very thing he had warned her about. Hunger. Temptation. Power. And yet here he was helping her bandage her wounds.
"Thank you." It was barely a whisper but she managed the words none the less. Grabbing his extended hand, she let him raise her back to her feet cradling her elbow until she regained her balance.
"We should move on. I doubt the mage will be eager to see you but we need to leave these caves."
She nodded again. "Right. You go on ahead. I'll walk with Carver."
The elf Nodded and squeezed past her brother. She followed silently her brother following her example. The trip back through the cave was quite aside from a few encounters they had with some blood mage's skeletons.
There was no side conversations as per-usual to lighten the mood because no one would forget this. A new fear had resonated within all of them. Even so the only thing running through Ava's mind was what her brother said and it was something she, now, could never agree with more.
That elf is a piece of work.
A/N ok so idk what happened with this chapter i just remember wishing this or something along that lines happened in the game. its so easy to piss anders off i was surprised when i couldnt have an actual confrontation with him surprised and kinda disappointed lol any way R&R 3 :)