Chapter Four: Just Don't Lie To Me
"That templar, Cullen, said it was the quickest, cleanest Harrowing he'd ever seen!" Everard heard an apprentice, Daphne, saying. "Everard must be so talented…"
But that was all that he heard of the conversation. He was too busy mulling over what he and Jowan had just been talking about. Apparently, Jowan was worried about his own Harrowing and when he'd get to do his. That is, if he got to do it. He mentioned the option of being made Tranquil and how that was not an option he would ever consider. Alas, some mages didn't get a choice and Jowan suspected that he would end up being one of those mages.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason why Jowan had been there when Everard woke up. Jowan's real purpose for being there was to tell him that Irving wished to see him.
You know, I'm starting to think that Jowan knows more about whether or not he's going to get to do his Harrowing than he's letting on, Everard concluded after a few minutes.
He sighed and went into the washroom nearby the apprentice quarters. Everard walked over to one of the basins and splashed some water on his face to wake himself up a bit more. Once he felt a bit more awake, he glanced up at the mirror hanging above the basin.
He had several tattoos, two of which were on either side of his face, right beneath his eyes. They were mirrors of each other and had been inked in blue like his other tattoos. The blue ink made his eyes seem to stand out more. Everard liked that since he had his mother's eyes…
"I thought I heard Jowan say that Irving wanted to see you," a voice commented from behind him.
"Oh, hello there, Flora," Everard replied, turning to face the apprentice.
The apprentice folded his arms over his chest and responded, "My name is Finn."
"No. Your name is Florian," Everard said. "Anyway, what are you doing in here? I thought that you were a recluse who reads all day and night."
"And I never thought that you'd get to do your Harrowing," Finn retorted.
"Jealous, are you, Flora?" Everard scoffed.
"No," Finn said blankly. "I'm just waiting for you to move so that I can…"
The words died on his lips as he watched as Everard froze the water in the basin. Everard chortled, knowing full well that Finn didn't know how to use fire spells yet.
"There you go then," he smirked as he brushed by Finn.
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Rather than go to Irving's office immediately, Everard began wandering around the Tower for a bit. On his walk, he overheard an interesting conversation between the templars guarding the door outside that involved the local gossip—someone was being made Tranquil later on that day. He listened to another discussion between two apprentices regarding blood magic. That was an interesting one, especially since one of the apprentices sounded like he was interested in blood magic.
Everard soon found himself in the library where the apprentices practiced their magic. Right after he entered the library, he witnessed an apprentice accidentally light himself on fire. The instructor sighed and quickly put the fire out. It took almost all of Everard's willpower not to burst out laughing when the instructor suggested that tinder and matches worked just as well as magic.
Eventually, Everard made his way to the First Enchanter's office. He happened to enter the room while Irving and Greagoir were in the middle of an argument. He listened in until another man in the room interrupted them to point out that there appeared to be someone to see Irving.
"Oh, don't mind me," Everard said, grinning slyly. "I love to eavesdrop."
But their conversation had halted altogether. Greagoir left the room, giving Everard a nasty glare on his way out. After he was gone, Irving introduced Everard to the other man. Apparently, this man was a Grey Warden named Duncan. And Irving had clearly been telling Duncan about Everard if the man's reaction upon realizing who he was could be anything to go by.
Once the introductions were finished, Irving gave Everard his mage's robes, a staff, and a ring.
"You do realize that I won't wear these robes, right?" Everard remarked.
Irving just sighed resignedly and asked, "Would you be so kind as to show Duncan to his room?"
"What? Why? Does he not know where his room is?" Everard replied.
"Do not be difficult, Everard. You are a mage now, not an apprentice," Irving responded.
"Yet I am still the same person," Everard rejoined. "But…very well. I'll do as you ask."
"Thank you. His room is—" Irving began.
"Yes, I know where his room is. I talked to the mage preparing it earlier," Everard interrupted.
He wanted to get his task done with quickly. So, he cut through the storeroom as a shortcut to Duncan's room. But then he stopped midway through the room and turned to Duncan. He wanted to know what Irving and Greagoir were arguing about. He managed to wheedle that information from Duncan as well as some more things about the Grey Wardens. Once they reached Duncan's room, Everard continued their conversation and asked him if he'd ever seen someone use blood magic.
Everard had read books on blood magic in secret. He'd noticed that that whole section of the library was gone now. Luckily, he had already read enough on it that he decided to never use it. Upon hearing Duncan's story about his first encounter with a maleficar, Everard's opinion changed slightly. The mage in Duncan's story was only trying to survive. While it was gruesome how the mage had turned the templars against one another, it was still for survival.
Maybe it's nice as a last resort, Everard decided as he left Duncan's room. Hmm. What he said about there being greater threats than blood mages and…everything he said about the Circle is nearly exactly what I've been thinking. Perhaps I should have been nicer when meeting Duncan. Oh, well. I don't want to be a Grey Warden anyway.
That's when he bumped right into Jowan.
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"Abrasive," Everard grumbled to himself as he headed back to the Chapel. "I'm not abrasive. I'm just truthful. Lily is a fat cow."
He wouldn't have even gone through the trouble getting a rod of fire if he hadn't realized how happy Jowan was with Lily the Rogue Initiate. She seemed all wrong for him but he was content and Everard wanted at least one of his friends to have a better life than one in the Circle allowed.
As he entered the Chapel, he spotted Keili praying again. He sighed and walked over to her, deciding to give Jowan a bit longer to rethink his love for Lily.
"What are you doing?" Everard asked despite already knowing the answer.
"Oh, hello," Keili replied, standing up. "I am reciting the Chant of Light. It helps to calm me in these dire times. Would you care to join me?"
"No," Everard responded. "I'd rather not."
"I recite the Maker's blessings every day. It brings me peace in troubled times," Keili declared.
Everard had had this conversation with her before. Keili believed that magic was a curse. Everard had argued that it was a gift. He decided that he didn't want to have that argument again, so he bid her farewell and went over to where Jowan and Lily were waiting.
"Did you get it?" Jowan asked, sounding anxious.
"Did you ask an incompetent person to get it?" Everard retorted.
"No?" Jowan said.
"Then, yes, I have it," Everard replied.
Lily made a face and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Are you positive that we can trust him?" Lily inquired.
"I would trust him with my life," Jowan answered matter-of-factly.
"Now that we have that taken care of, can we get this plan over and done with before someone notices us plotting?" Everard said, glancing around the Chapel. It was empty now that Keili was gone, which was…unusual. He didn't mention anything about it, though, since Jowan and Lily were ready to go.
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"Hello!" Everard called down the empty corridor. His echo came back to him and he chuckled.
Lily was staring at him in disbelief and Jowan was shaking his head. Both of them were probably wishing that they hadn't needed his help to escape, especially since Everard had somehow ended up leading them. Although, that was not anything new to Jowan for he was used to Everard being the leader. Lily, on the hand, was less than happy about Everard's leadership.
However, they did notice one thing about their leader. While Everard could be a bit childish, when it came to a fight, he was a fierce fighter. In fact, it seemed as though he did most of the work. This wasn't surprising since Lily had little experience when it came to fighting and Jowan was usually a non-violent person. On the other hand, Everard…
"Hey! I think that's the sixth one I've killed! What are you two doing that you can't help?" Everard remarked after they'd dispatched three more sentinels.
"We are helping," Lily hissed, glaring at him.
"Really? Because it doesn't seem like it," he teased, heading towards the door at the end of the corridor.
At long last, they reached a room full of miscellaneous and interesting things. Everard opened a chest in one corner of the room and pulled a staff out of it.
"Oh…look at this," he said, testing the staff out a bit. He made a thin stream of ice shoot out of it and then he grinned.
"This is a keeper," Everard declared.
"I don't think you should take anything out of here," Jowan said.
"It's not like they'll ever know it went missing," Everard shrugged, ditching his old staff in the chest.
He spotted a statue in another corner of the room.
"This place is so neat," he commented, walking over to the statue. Jowan was also drawn towards the statue.
"Jowan," Lily said, touching the man on the shoulder, "I don't think—"
"There's something strange about this statue," Jowan muttered, cutting her off.
And then the statue talked. It said that its name was Eleni Zinovia and that she was once the consort and adviser to Archon Valerius of the Tevinter Imperium. She went on to talk about why she was turned to stone. Lily said that it was evil because of it was from Tevinter. Everard purposely ignored her and listened to the statue. The statue ceased speaking after a few minutes. One short-lived shocked silence later and they were back to trying to find another way into the repository. Jowan noticed that part of the wall in the room was weak and could easily be knocked down.
He and Everard moved away the bookcase in front of the wall. Jowan got the bright idea for Everard to use the rod of fire on a nearby statue of a mabari hound that was directly in front of the crumbling wall. When Everard did as he was told, the wall exploded with a rather loud boom.
"I hope no one heard that," Lily said nervously.
I wouldn't count on it, Everard thought.
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"Well, that was fun," Everard declared sarcastically as they exited the repository through the door they'd been unable to open from the outside.
"I wouldn't say it was 'fun,'" Lily rejoined. She apparently had no concept of sarcasm.
Maker's breath, what does Jowan see in this woman? Everard wondered as they walked out of the basement.
"We did it!" Jowan cried once they were out. "I could never have—"
But he was cut off by Greagoir and Irving and three templars arriving. Everything started happening so fast. First, Jowan was accused of being a blood mage and was going to be sent for execution. Then, Lily was going to be taken away by templars and…
"No! I won't let you touch her!" Jowan shouted, stabbing his hand.
Blood magic. The very thing he'd denied ever using and there he was stabbing his hand and knocking five men unconscious with just one spell.
"That was—" Everard began.
"—blood magic!" Lily cried, stepping back from Jowan.
"Well, I was going to say—" Everard tried again but he stopped abruptly.
"I-I know, Lily. But, I swear, I'll never use it again. Just, please, let me be with you," Jowan pleaded.
"Stay away from me, blood mage. I don't know you," Lily snarled, the hatred evident in her voice.
Jowan's face fell before he turned and ran away. Everard tried to stop him but Jowan was moving too fast. He was gone within minutes.
Everard rounded on Lily and yelled, "You two-faced bitch! First it's, 'I love you so much.' Then, he uses blood mage once and you're like, 'Stay away!' What is wrong with you? How could you do that to him? He was ready to give up everything for you!"
And I would go with him if I knew I wouldn't be labeled as a maleficar as well, he added in his head, gritting his teeth.
"Blood magic is evil. It corrupts people," Lily hissed, glaring right back at him.
"Jowan learned blood magic from books," Everard said. "I saw them on Irving's desk and I know Jowan well enough to have confidence that he wouldn't make a deal with a demon." I've also read those books once before. Blood magic isn't inherently evil. He didn't say that out loud, though.
"If you know him so well, then how did you not know he was a maleficar?" Lily demanded.
"I knew he was a blood mage the moment that I asked him if he was and he denied it. I could tell that he was lying but I didn't say anything because I really don't care if he's a blood mage," Everard answered.
"You knowingly helped a blood mage escape from the Circle?" Lily said incredulously.
"No. I helped my friend escape. If you could just look beyond the blood mage thing, you'd be able to see what I see. Jowan isn't any different than he was before. Yes, he's a bit more paranoid but that's understandable considering…well, you heard it. They were going to execute him without any actual proof of whether or not he was a blood mage," Everard said, his anger refusing to subside. Although, he knew trying to explain himself to Lily wouldn't work because she would never truly understand.
"But you—" Lily started to say.
"Shut up!" Everard shouted, fire springing to his fingertips. "Just shut up," he repeated, closing his eyes to calm himself. "We need to make sure that these five are alright. So, get over how Jowan is a blood mage and help me."
With that said, he opened his eyes, walked over to Irving, and knelt down beside the old man. Everyone was starting to awaken. Irving groaned and sat up. Greagoir was back on his feet just a minute after he woke up. The other three templars were standing once again as well. Everard helped Irving get up.
"I didn't think Jowan could do that," Everard admitted.
"None of us expected this," Irving said, turning to look at the Knight Commander. "Are you alright, Greagoir?"
"As alright as I can be, considering the circumstances," Greagoir replied. "Now we have a blood mage on the loose and no way to track him down!"
"Yes, Jowan destroyed his phylactery," Everard responded as if there was nothing wrong with that.
Greagoir glared at him and snarled, "And you. You know why the repository exists. Some artifacts—some magics—are locked away for a reason!"
"You didn't take anything from the repository, did you?" Irving asked.
"No," Everard lied and succeeded.
Greagoir decided then that he wanted Lily to be taken away. She was escorted out by the three templars. Greagoir returned his attention to Everard.
"Your antics have made a mockery of this Circle!" Greagoir said. "Ah…what are we do with you?"
Everard decided to take a chance and so he replied, "Do what you like. I stand by my decision to help Jowan."
"You helped a blood mage escape!" Greagoir nearly shouted. He managed to keep his voice down a bit, though.
"It's so nice to have the obvious pointed out to me," Everard sighed.
Before Greagoir or Irving could think of what to do with him, Duncan appeared. He gave Everard a mysterious look before he declared,
"I am not only looking for mages to join the army but I am also looking for Grey Wardens."
"Duncan," Irving retorted, "this mage has assisted a maleficar, and shown a lack of regard for the Circle's rules."
He didn't add "on more than one occasion" to that last bit. But Duncan didn't appear to care about that. He still wanted Everard to join and Everard was more than happy to leave the Circle. He was just disappointed that Anders would still be trapped there.
Knowing him, he's probably thinking up his next escape plan, Everard thought. That's what he wanted to convince himself of, at least.
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Camping outside was not necessarily a new experience for Everard but it still fascinated him. Being able to see the sunset again was nice but seeing the stars again gave Everard that deep feeling of freedom. True freedom.
While he was reacquainting himself with the outdoors, Duncan began to set up camp on his own. Everard noticed this and decided that he wanted to help somehow, so he lit the campfire with his magic. Duncan didn't say anything when he saw the fire.
But what he did finally say startled Everard, "I heard what you told Lily."
"I saw your friend run by, so I went to see what was happening," Duncan continued without noticing Everard's brief shock. "You risked quite a bit in order to help him."
"That's what I do," Everard responded. "I help my friends when they need me. I don't doubt that Irving told you all about the incident a year ago involving my other friend, Anders."
"Yes. He told me about that," Duncan replied.
"I knew what they were going to do to Anders and me," Everard said. "I couldn't let that happen. Granted, it's already happened to Anders but…I could not allow that if I could stop it." Everard paused and then added, "He's still there…in solitary confinement. All because he wants to be free. But I think that, one day, he will be free. He'll be an apostate but I doubt he cares about that. Speaking of which, am I an apostate now?"
He sounded almost excited at the prospect of being an apostate.
"You are a mage outside of the Circle," Duncan answered. "So, yes, you could say you are an apostate. However, you will be a Grey Warden soon enough."
"Ah, but I'll still be an apostate," Everard shrugged.
Duncan chuckled softly and replied, "I suppose that's true."
