Railan had been silent the entire trip back to Redcliffe castle. He wasn't looking forward to heading back into the Fade already. He had known that this was the ultimate goal of this excursion to the tower. It was just the idea of the Fade that bothered him currently. After the sloth demon and then what Cullen had said. All of it just bothered him.
When they docked the two boats, Alistair had led the mages up to the castle to begin the preparations.
Railan got out and went quickly to the Chantry to see how the village had held up while they had been gone. Even though it had only been a couple of days it had seemed so much longer to him.
The mayor reported that no walking corpses had come down from the castle, which was good. It meant that the two mages in the castle had been able to keep Conner subdued while they were at the tower.
Railan and Lelianna then made their way up to the Castle. They walked through the quiet courtyard. The castle was so still it seemed as though nothing had changed while they were away. They made their way to the main hall.
"Ah! There you are," the first enchanter exclaimed when he saw Railan. "We can start anytime."
"Let's get this done," Railan sighed.
"I'm glad we decided to take this route," Alistair said reassuringly. "This is really the best option."
Railan couldn't help being worried, but nodded anyway. It really was kind of the almost Templar to reasure him of his decision.
"Very well. I assume you are going into the Fade. Or did you have someone else in mind?" Irving asked.
"I will go. I can't ask anyone else to take the risk." Railan knew anytime in the Fade could be dangerous but he also felt that he needed to prove to Irving that he could handle being a mage. Maybe this could repair some of the damage that the blood mages had caused.
"Let us get under way then."
Raglan felt himself becoming heavy. His eyes fluttering shut and he wondered how many times he would purposely enter the Fade before he would remember to lie down first. He slumped to the floor with a crash as the spell created by the other mages pulled him into the Fade.
When his vision cleared, Railan looked around the Fade realm that he had appeared in. The path seemed oddly straight forward compared to the sloth demon's realm. He walked forward cautiously just in case it was a trap. The path was lined with children's toys, which helped Railan know he was at least in the right place to find Conner.
As he went down a bend in the path he saw Connor up ahead. Railan approached the boy slowly as he did not want to startle him. He had no way of knowing if this was truly Connor or the demon, without speaking to him.
"Who are you?" Connor asked taking a step back from Railan. "Are you the one that made Father ill? Tell me now!"
"No, I wasn't the one who made your Father sick," Railan said calmly. "I'm here to help, but I need to know where the demon is."
"No! You're here to hurt Father! I know it! I won't let you!" he shrieked and the image in front of Railan became the demon.
Railan began casting lightning once he knew that it was the demon. The spell flew from his fingers striking the demon who flew back and disappeared. Railan knew that the demon wasn't gone the Desire Demon would be far more difficult to actually destroy. Railan would have to find a portal in order to move to another part of this Fade realm.
Working his way back up the trail he found a portal near the beginning of the path and slipping into it he felt himself twist and spin. He was spat out the other end of portal.
Again the path was short and straight. Railan was beginning to wonder if some of the simplicity of this realm was Connor trying to help him. Or if nothing else Connor was young and could not create the realm any more complex.
"Why do you keep hurting me? Why are you trying to stop me?"
"Demon, leave this boy. Let me see you as you are."
"You will not find what you seek! Turn back now!" hissed the demon stillin Conner's form.
"Obviously, you are worried that I will find what I seek. Know this when I do I will destroy you demon."
Once again the demon shifted forms from the boy to its natural form. This time the Desire Demon was accompanied by a lesser demon. One quick ice spell stopped the lesser demon but Railan was caught by blast from the Desire demon which threw him to the ground and weakened him. He sent a blast of lightning at it but the electric current was not powerful enough. Railan was on his feet again and dodged the next attack preparing a wizards fire which he blasted at the demon. It vanished again. Sighing Railan began to trudge back up the path to the portal. He had no way of knowing how many timed the demon intended to play this game of cat and mouse.
Before stepping through the portal, Railan stopped and let his mana return to him. The portal was no different this time and no matter how many times he stepped into a portal it always made him feel sick.
He traveled down the path with determination. He could not keep this up forever but neither could the demon.
Again at the end of the path the demon stood in Connor's form.
"Father wanders, seeking me, trapped within my web. All is as it should be. Why do you interfere?"
"Because, demon, you interfere where you should not."
"Connor invited me to come, and we struck a bargain. I have every right to be here and do as he desires," Connor shook his head.
The demon shifted into its form and said, "No, it is time for you to go now. Do not persist, or things will go very badly for you."
The demon vanished without fighting but in its place was three lesser demons. As they slunk towards him he sent a wave of ice which caught two of them freezing them in place. The third neared ready to attack when a wave of fire hit it. The demon shrieked and slumped back into the ground. He quickly threw a fire ball at the two frozen demons blowing them up. Railan turned and ran back up the path. He stepped through the portal all caution tossed aside. He knew that the demon was running but he would catch it.
The portal tossed him out right in front of the demon in its true form. Railan pulled his electrical spells forth. He was ready for the demon to attack but it only raised its hands submissively. Railan kept his magic ready knowing that this could be a trap but he needed to make sure first that Connor would not be hurt.
"Very well. No more illusions," the demon purred. "Now we meet face-to-face. You see my true form and stand in my domain."
"It is just as much a mage's domain as it is yours."
"Possibly, it may just depend on who was here first. It does not matter though. It is here I am most powerful, and yet I have no wish to engage your power. Nor should you be so eager to engage mine." The demon paused as if it was trying to find the proper words before continuing, "Perhaps we should converse instead?"
"What could I possibly have to talk to you about?"
"I possess the boy's soul. We could of course battle for it or we could negotiate like civilized beings." Railan snorted at the idea of the demon being civilized. "If you are smart, you could even come out ahead."
"I don't make deals with demons. Your kind is known for not keeping their side of the bargain."
"Some are like that, but I prefer reasonable negotiation, whenever possible." The demon crossed its arms and looked as though it was frustrated by his stubbornness. "Your goal is for me to release the boy's soul, is that right?"
"Yes, I want the boy to be returned to himself unharmed."
"What if you could…persuade me to leave voluntarily?"
"Why would you do such a thing?
"Let me make a proposition, then. I abandon the boy. At least for now. But I retain the contract he and I made and many years from now I may return and claim what is mine. This will be long after whatever you want is done. In exchange, I will provide something of value to you. Something you desire. Love? A family?" It moved closer to Railan enticingly. "What do you say?"
Railan let lose the lightning ball that had gathered in his hand.
"No! I don't make deals with demons!" Railan shouted.
The demon cast out a blast of fire but Railan was already moving to avoid it. She cackled and said, "That is unlike the rest of your family, but that is something you do not know and may never find out now."
Railan felt his chest contract but kept focused on the fight. For all he knew the demon was just making things up in desperation. He froze her in place and struck out with a blast of fire. When the ice cracked the demon cast a spell upon herself. Railan found himself surrounded by five identical mirrors of the demon. He spun around trying to decide which one was the real one. None of the mirrors attacked, he thought that maybe only the real one could and that would give away the disguise.
He randomly shot an arcane bolt at one of them. The mirror shattered, but the power behind it pulled back to the third mirror which would be the real one. Railan turned slowly trying to look as though he was still confused, while pulling his magic into a large fireball. He let lose the ball at the third of the mirrors. It struck true and the mirrors vanished. The blast threw him back away from the demon but he had been prepared for that and readied for another attack.
With one last blast of lightning, the Desire demon screeched as she vanished from the realm.
Railan awoke and put a hand to his head. As he became aware of his surroundings in the great hall in Redcliffe castle he sensed Alistair close by. He realized the templar was on one knee by his side. When he looked into the almost templar's face he saw real concern there. Alistair had been worried about him while he had been in the Fade.
Alistair reached out a hand to help the mage sit up. For just coming out of the Fade, Railan was doing surprisingly well. Maybe he was getting used to going and fighting in the other world, which seemed like a scary thought to him.
"The demon is gone," Railan said reassuringly.
At the news Isolde and Teagan rushed down the hallway and up stairs to the bedrooms to check on Conner and Eamon.
Alistair looked at Railan, and he nodded signaling that he should go after them. Alistair disappeared in the same direction the others had moments before.
Railan slowly got to his feet the queasiness from returning from the Fade dissipating.
"Thank you for your help Irving," Railan said.
The first enchanter nodded, "It was the least we could do."