A/N: Chapter 10 is here and it's time for the Circle tower.
I wish to thank everyone who have read this far. Special thanks to those who have alerted or faved and very special thanks to those who reviewed. Extra special thanks to Faelan, without your continued support I don't think this would be possible.
Dragon Age and all you recognize belongs to Bioware. Things you don't recognize belong to me. Lenya belongs to herself.
Update, November 2013: Grammar and other errors fixed.
Lake Calenhad
Lenya was already waiting for others at the shore when they started to come out from the inn. Sten was first and he just nodded at her and went to wait nearby. Leliana and Morrigan were next and Alistair a bit later.
"Slept well?" Lenya asked from them and got few nods and a grunt from Sten. She promised herself that someday she would find out for what Sten was saving his words for.
"Did you sleep at all?" Leliana asked from her, "I mean you were here when I went to bed and you're still here."
"No, I stood here all night," Lenya replied, "Very relaxing and stuff."
"You're joking... Right?" Alistair said looking unsure, "You didn't actually stand here all night."
"It did not do that," Shale said, "Like all soft squishy things it went to sleep."
"Spoilsport!" Lenya said to Shale, "It seems that there is only that thing there, to take us over the lake," She then said and pointed at the boat, that was now docked in the pier.
"We can't all fit in that," Alistair said after studying the boat for a moment.
"Five at most and there is no way it can carry Shale," Lenya nodded at Alistair, "Would you guard our camp while we are there?" She asked from Shale.
"Since it is asking... I will do this thing," Shale said after a short pause.
"Thank you, Shale," Lenya nodded at the golem, "Oh, and Shale..."
"Yes?" Shale turned to look at her.
"There are no limitations on what is acceptable for you to do to those who try to steal our things or try to hurt Bodahn and Sandal," Lenya said and grinned at the golem.
"Such nice things it says to me," Shale said and headed back to the clearing where their camp was.
"For any bandits sake I hope none will try to steal things from the camp," Leliana said.
"You are a cruel woman. Hoping things like that when bandits happening in our camp would make Shale happy," Lenya said, "Let's go then. We might need to beat that imbecile to death though," She added and pointed at the templar, who was guarding the boat, "He insisted that he can't let us pass and when I told him that I am a Grey Warden, he told me he's queen of Antiva. I would have killed the idiot, but I did promise that I let you handle the speaking," She added smiling pleasantly to Alistair.
"I'm so glad," Alistair sighed. He obviously already regretted making that request.
"Well, go on," Lenya urged him, "We need to get over the lake today."
"You're a cruel and evil woman!" Alistair grumbled, "But I'm sure you know that already," He added and went to talk to the templar.
The Circle Tower
It really hadn't looked promising to Alistair when they had stepped in from the tower main doors. There had been wounded templars lying around and they had heard the agitation from the commanders voice as he spoke to his men. From that point on, Alistair had known that there was no room for his diplomacy after all. He'd took a glance at Lenya, who had studied the room and the templars and then her expression had turned serious.
Alistair was a bit surprised that they were even allowed to try and solve the problem. Although he was damn sure that Lenya would not just kill everyone in the tower like Greagoir had suggested. Alistair knew that Lenya saw mages as victims and templars as their slavers. Even though he'd tried to explain that templars were dependent from the chantry.
Alistair was glad though, that he'd not been on the receiving end of Lenya's scorn. Greagoir had taken it pretty well when Lenya had called them incompetent idiots. All the good reputation Lothering templars had managed to achieve with Lenya's eyes had pretty much disappeared when she talked with Greagoir.
Now they were going through the first rooms of the floor and no one dared to speak with Lenya, who looked grim. There were dead mages and templars lying everywhere. Lenya didn't stop to search them or even slow down until they saw a body that was smaller than the rest. It was child's battered body. An elven child.
Very gently Lenya turned the little body over and brushed the bloody hair away from the child's face. There was deep gashes in the chest of the little body. Lenya was whispering something in elvish, but Alistair couldn't make out the words, except the word Falon'Din. It must be one of her gods, probably god of afterlife or something like that, since he remembered Lenya using it to those two guards who died at the top of the tower of Ishal.
"They will pay," Lenya said and stood up, "Whoever is behind this, they will pay," She promised to them and when she turned around Alistair took a step back. Lenya's blue eyes seemed to glow. He'd heard about such things from the older wardens. Sometimes when the wardens got older their eyes could start to glow when darkspawn were near, but Lenya was even younger warden than he was and he couldn't sense any darkspawn nearby. Only tainted being he could feel was Lenya. Her presence had been growing since the Peak as her body adjusted to the taint. Or it might be the damn potion she'd drank there.
No one said anything to Lenya as they followed her out of the dormitory. Alistair noticed that he was not the only one who had seen the glow or whatever it had been. Leliana looked at him, searching for an confirmation of what she'd seen or maybe an explanation. He shrugged and Leliana seemed to sigh and then her eyes turned to Lenya again. Morrigan looked curious and Sten... well, Alistair had no idea what went through in his head.
As they followed Lenya, Alistair was glad that they had not seen any abominations or demons yet. Many dead mages and templars yes, but nothing living. Which probably meant that they were somewhere ahead of them.
Just as that thought went through Alistair's mind he heard it. Sounds of fighting. Lenya picked up the pace and they hurried to the next room. Only to witness how a rage demon got destroyed by an white haired mage who looked familiar somehow. Alistair was certain he'd seen her before.
When they stopped, the mage turned around and raised her staff. Then her eyes focused on Lenya and she said, "It's you!" Then she continued, "No... come no further. Grey Warden or no. I will strike you down where you stand!"
Lenya tilted her head like Alistair had seen Abelas doing, "You can certainly try, but I don't want to kill you in front of the children," Lenya shrugged, "Why you even have children with you?" She then asked puzzled.
"The tower is a place of learning. Young apprentices are always here. Why is that surprising?" The old mage asked and then shook her head, "But this is no time to discuss that. Why are you here? Why did the templars let you through?" She demanded.
"I help Greagoir to resolve the circle's difficulties," Lenya replied.
"Then you do serve the templars as I feared," The old mage said, making Alistair inhale sharply. He lifted his hand to stop Lenya, but there was no way he could actually succeed in it.
"I do not serve the templars, Mage!" Lenya snarled, "I don't serve anything that has anything to do with the chantry, so unless you don't want me to really kill you in front of the children, you don't speak of things like that," Her voice never rose which made it even more forceful, "I am here, because I need the mages to defeat the damn blight and because I have a treaty that compels you to help me. I couldn't give a damn about the templars, the chantry or shems or even your damned problems, but it is my damn duty to stop the blight and you are lucky, because I need you in order to do that. If I have to tear this damn tower to the ground I will do it, but I will not leave here without the mages help, if there is even one of you alive to do so. Then I may even take the damn templars with me so they can finally do something useful instead of babysitting you mages."
The old woman's posture seemed to change. She did not relax completely, but she was not pointing her staff at them anymore.
"I apologize, Warden," The old mage said then, "But can you tell me if the templars have a Right of Annulment?"
"Templars have sent for it, but it has not arrived and I wouldn't even trust that it ever will. Country isn't as safe as it used to be," Lenya said, "In any case, they don't attack without reinforcements. Bloody useless shems."
"So Greagoir thinks the Circle is beyond hope," The old mage sighed, "He probably assumes we are all dead," She continued, "They abandoned us to our fate, but even trapped as we are, we have survived. If they invoke the right, however, we will not be able to stand against them."
"If you ask me, he is incompetent idiot," Lenya said, "But then again he's a shem so what can you expect," She added then and smiled, "What happen here anyway?" She asked looking curious.
"Let it suffice to say that we had something of a revolt on our hands, led by mage named Uldred," The old mage replied, "When he returned from the battle at Ostagar, he tried to take over the Circle. As you can see it didn't work out as he had planned."
"Either that or he's really bad at planning," Lenya said and Alistair saw the lips of the mage twist upwards a little. He didn't know how Lenya did that. She was rude, brutally honest and didn't hide her dislikes, but still people seemed to like her.
"I don't know what became of Uldred, but I'm certain all this is his doing. I will not loose the Circle for one mans pride and stupidity," The old mage said.
"And yet you were sitting here this whole time?" Lenya asked confused. Alistair could understand that. Lenya was not, and neither was he, one for waiting for things to solve themselves.
"I tried to help the children get out, but the doors were locked... No one responded when I called for help. What else was I supposed to do?" The old mage asked, her voice tired, "I erected a barrier over the door so nothing from inside could attack the children," She added then and pointed the door where shimmering field of magic was moving around.
"You could have taken the mages here and started clearing the tower," Lenya said after she studied the barrier for a moment, "If you kill every demon, abomination and what else there might be ahead there, as you go further none would have got back here to threaten the children. Yes, they would have been defenseless, but their situation is not any better now either, except that they will not die alone when either the templars finally get their reinforcements or the demons take over the whole tower. You can't win a battle if you just wait for it to go away," Lenya was, like she always was, brutally honest. No coddling. Only thing she did do, was lower her voice so the children did not hear what she said. She might be brutally honest and even cold towards adults, but children seemed to have same effect as Abelas had. They brought out the softer Lenya, "Since you've not done anything it falls to me to do it for you," She added then.
Alistair couldn't quite figure out what the expression on the old mages face meant. He was damn sure she had not been lectured at... well, for a very long time.
"You will not be able to enter the tower as long as the barrier holds," The old mage said finally, "But I will dispel it, if you join with me to save the Circle."
Lenya sighed, "Leliana," She said and turned to talk to the red haired woman, "Is there something written somewhere in my person that says that I collect shems?" She asked, "I asked it from Alistair when you were trying to join us and he said no, but I'm not sure I believe him anymore."
"No, Lenya, there isn't anything written in your body," Leliana replied trying to hide her smile, "You just give off that certain aura that tells people that you get things done."
"Or you all lie to me and there is text in my forehead or something." Lenya shakes her head. "Why do you want to come with me and what skills do you have?" She asked from the mage, but before the old mage had time to answer Lenya added, "This doesn't mean I will take you with me and telling me that you won't dispel that thing, if I don't do as you want, doesn't work on me. That thing goes off, one way or the other, regardless of what I decide. There is nothing you can do to stop me."
Alistair did not know how long it took as Lenya and the mage just stared at each other. He did not want to fight these people, but he knew, that if it came to that he would follow Lenya's lead. Finally, when he was already sure that it would be necessary to fight, the old mage relaxed and nodded at Lenya.
"Alright, young lady," The old mage said, "My name is Wynne, if you've forgotten it," She introduced herself and then explained why she wanted to come with them and what her skills were. Apparently she was a skilled healer.
"You can come with us," Lenya said. It must have been the healer part that convinced her. He couldn't believe that any of the other reasons, Wynne gave to them, counted at all.
"You want us to assist this preachy schoolmistress?" Morrigan asked, her voice full of contempt, "To rescue these pathetic excuses for mages?" Alistair wanted to strangle the woman. How could anyone be so spiteful, "They allow themselves to be corralled like cattle, mindless. Now their masters have chosen death for them and I say let them have it."
"I have made my decision, Morrigan. We help the mages," Lenya said, "If you don't like it, you can go knock on the door there and I'm sure the templars will let you out if you ask nicely."
"Have it your way," Morrigan scoffed.
"Oh I will," Lenya smiled at Morrigan, "I'm so happy that you give me your approval on it though," She added and clapped her hands together in a mock enthusiasm. Morrigan rolled her eyes and went to stand away from Lenya. That made Alistair grin. To him Morrigan would have just continued her barbs, but towards Lenya that was out of the question.
"Petra, Kinnon... look after others. I will be back soon," Wynne said to the other mages.
"Wynne... are you sure you're alright?" The woman, Petra, said, "You were so badly hurt earlier. Maybe I should come along."
"If she can keep me alive, nothing will hurt her up there," Lenya said. She sounded so sure of that, that it made Alistair believe her. How did she do that? Where did that confidence came from? "And if she can't, well... I doubt you being with us would help you anyway."
"The others need your protection more. I will be alright," Wynne said to the woman. Even though she gave a short glance to Lenya, "Stay here with them... Keep them safe and calm."
"Lets be off. We've talked away enough time," Lenya said and she turned to look at the barrier.
"If you are ready, let us go end this," Wynne said and followed Lenya to the barrier.
When they got to the fancier looking room on the second floor, Lenya had really started to hate demons and mages who tried to throw fire spells at her. Cold spells were nasty and made her teeth clatter, but at least you could get warm after wards, but fire spells just burned everything.
"This is Irving's room," Wynne said and Lenya turned to watch the old mage. Wynne had earned her respect during their ascend to the tower. She was a truly gifted healer, "I guess I was expecting to find him here," Wynne sighed. Then she turned away like the sight of the mess in the room was too much for her.
Lenya shrugged and gave a sign to Alistair, to go and see if the the old mage was alright. Alistair nodded and left the room.
Lenya was left in the room with just Leliana. Morrigan still stayed away from her and Sten seemed to stand in the hallway, looking bored.
"Look if you can find anything that could help us find out what happen in here," Lenya says to Leliana, "I know what Wynne said, but she's too close to the issue to see anything clearly."
"As you wish, Lenya," Leliana nodded and started to go through Irving's papers, that were lying on the desk.
Lenya herself was drawn to the large chest in the corner. Knowing that it was not polite to go and open other people's chests she cursed herself, the feeling was there again, urging her to open the chest.
Sighing deeply she opened the chest and looked inside. There was few potions of lyrium, some empty sheets of paper and large black book. It was that, that has triggered the feeling in her. Carefully she lifted the book from the chest and tried to open it. Without a success.
"What's that?" Leliana asked behind her.
"Something I need to take with me," Lenya replied and put the tome in her bag, "Did you find anything?"
"Nothing much," Leliana replied, "Only thing that struck my eye was this note where Irving has given the task to root out the blood mages from the tower to a one senior mage."
"Let me guess," Lenya said and turned to look at Leliana, "He gave the job to Uldred," She said and Leliana nodded, "I am starting to believe that it's not just the templars that are idiots in this tower, but mages as well. Maybe they've been exposed to too much magic and turned into a simpletons. They do live in this damn tower all the time after all," Leliana giggled at that.
"I don't think we can get any more answers from here," Leliana said after stifling her giggles. She did sound rather nice when she giggled - Lenya thought and then shook her head in confusion - Where did that thought come from?
"Let's go," Lenya said in a bit unsure voice. She could feel Leliana's eyes on her as she stepped out of the room. She was probably getting sick or something or she was just plainly going nuts for real.
"Did you find anything?" Alistair asked.
"Only a note that said that Irving had appointed Uldred to weed out all the blood mages in the tower," Lenya replied and studied Wynne, "It seems that your first enchanter has put a fox to guard his hens," She said to Wynne.
"It seems so," Wynne nodded. Wynne had not agreed with Lenya when she'd spared that one blood mage woman. Neither had Alistair or Sten. Morrigan was still staying far from her and had not said anything. Leliana had been the only one who had supported her. Leliana's reasons were completely different than hers or at least the parts with the chantry taking anyone in no matter their sins. On that she agreed with Alistair. She hoped the woman would get away and would truly redeem herself like she'd promised, "You don't approve the Circle," Wynne said bringing Lenya back from her musings.
"What gave me away?" Lenya asked smiling, "But no, I do not approve slavery."
"But my dear, we are not slaves," Wynne said.
"But you are," Lenya said, "You are all here against your will or did anyone ask if you wanted to be here? Can you leave and live your life outside? It doesn't change the fact that you are slaves if you just accept your fate and think, well, it's not so bad. The Chantry confines you here and even kills you in here, all in a name of safety. You are told that your power are a curse and you need to be constantly watched because you might, Might, turn into a abomination. All this is done for your own good of course," Then she sighed and shook her head. Whole idea of the Circle made her itching to destroy the system, "But this is not the place to talk about that and I doubt you even think I'm right. You can't see the forest from the trees," Lenya added and suppressed her urge to start a war on the Chantry. By the Creators she hated the Chantry. Without waiting if Wynne agreed she turned and left.
Alistair followed Lenya with his eyes. He did not like the Circle much either, but he'd never seen it like that. If you started to think about it more closely, Lenya was right.
"Quite spirited young woman," Wynne said to him.
"You have no idea," Alistair sighed, "I hope she didn't offend you... too much."
"It'll take more than that to offend me, young man," Wynne said, "She is young and young people are always fiery and passionate about things."
Alistair did not want to be around if Wynne went and tried to assure Lenya that all she felt, was because she was young. Old woman or not, Lenya might just behead her. Lenya might be young, but her views were not. If you listened her long enough you found yourself wondering how old she actually was. It was like Lenya was carrying around all the accumulated knowledge of the Dalish. She probably was too.
"Don't you worry, young man, I am quite sure she won't kill me," Wynne said. Scaring him a bit. Did the old woman read his thoughts? - Chill went down on his spine when he thought about that.
"I hope you are right for your own sake," Alistair said, "Let's go after her. She will be mad if she has to clear the tower all alone."
Alistair didn't know if Wynne followed him and he didn't actually care. He just wanted to reach Lenya before she found herself fighting against mages and demons again. His templar abilities were really useful against them. All though he had found Lenya studying him, when he did use them. Like she was trying to learn them. He had promised the Grand Cleric that he'd keep the templar secrets, but how could he keep that promise if Lenya could just learn them by watching him. One part of him actually wanted to teach them to Lenya if she ever would ask him about them.
"Alistair," Lenya said when she sensed him coming closer. It was damn creepy how she could feel Alistair through the taint. Avernus's potion had 'opened' the knowing how to listen the taint in her. As well as the few other things. She knew something had happen to her eyes when she'd spoken her vow to end the elf child's killers. She'd seen everything through a blue glow.
"Yes?" Alistair replied and came to stand at her side.
"If there is an ogre on top of this damn tower and I get shot full of arrows. Would you be so kind and prevent any shapeshifters taking me away and healing me," Lenya said and looked at the stairs that lead to the upper levels of the tower.
"I wouldn't worry about it," Alistair said, "I think saving us from the top of that tower was one time deal."
"I hope so," Lenya sighed, "This whole place feels wrong," She added then and a shiver ran through her.
"I know," Alistair nodded, "It's like the Peak, only worse."
"I wish you'd not said that," Lenya sighed again, "I really have tried to ignore the fact myself. Feeling that the Beyond is so close makes my skin crawl."
"Glad it's not just me then," Alistair said smiling.
"Didn't I tell you to take a bath last evening?" Lenya said and grinned at him, "If your skin is crawling, it's probably because you disobeyed that order."
"Hey!" Alistair exclaimed, trying to sound insulted, but a big smile spreading on his lips ruined the attempt, "I let you know that I did take a bath and even removed my armor before taking it."
"Well, well, wonders never seizes to exist," Lenya laughed at him, "Thank you, Alistair," She then said, obviously shocking the living Creator or perhaps the Maker out of him, "It is good to know that I can trust you to lighten the mood," And it truly was. He was a shem, but he was also the only other Warden in Ferelden and perhaps even a friend. It could have been a lot worse and she might have ended up with some drooling lecher, who would have tried to conquer her or something and she would have been forced to kill him.
"Glad to help," Alistair managed to say.
Lenya smiled at him. Warm and friendly smile. Not like the smiles she usually gave him that were full of double meanings, wickedness and mischievous. She saw how the friendly smile affected him and she regretted doing that. He really was not ready for a friendly smiles. For a moment she toyed on the idea of giving him a flirting smile, just to see what would happen, but by the looks of it, he was already getting wrong ideas from the friendly smile.
He stared at the floor blushing deeply and shifted his weight from foot to foot. Yes, no more smiles for him – Lenya thought.
Alistair had never thought Lenya as a woman before. He'd known she was one of course, but so far she'd been too scary for him, to even think her as one. Now, with that warm smile she'd given him. He couldn't shake the thought that she was a woman. A very beautiful woman.
"By the Creators, Alistair," Alistair heard Lenya saying, but did not dare to lift his eyes from the floor, "I swear that I have never seen anyone who is so unaccustomed of talking to a woman. First I thought it's just me that makes you stumble since everyone else does that too, but I have seen you go and blush when you talk to a any woman."
"Is... is it..." Alistair started and then coughed, "Is it so bad to be respectful when talking to a beautiful woman such as you?" He asked and then it hit him. What he'd just said and to whom. He wanted nothing more than the ground to open up and swallow him.
"Depends on who you are talking with," Lenya said and then added, "And you are blushing so much that I am afraid it might be bad for you," Lenya grinned at him, "Never seen anything like that. Merrill was pretty bad and rambled a lot, but even she did not blush like that, when she talked to me," She continued and then fell silent, "Anyway, we should get up there." She then said and with that she started to climb the stairs.
Alistair stared after her. He could not quite understand what had just happen. Lenya had treated him like a person, even a friend, instead of just the only other warden in Ferelden.
"She slips like that more and more these days," Leliana said behind him, "She misses her clan a lot and tries to fill the void they left in her. And since we are all she have..." She did not finish the sentence and she really did not need to, "Anyway, we better start climbing," She added and walked past him.
When Alistair looked behind him, he noticed that only Leliana had come close enough to hear. He did not know if Lenya had noticed that. Shaking his head he motion the others to follow before going after Lenya and Leliana.
The higher in the tower they climbed, the tougher the demons and abominations became. They've had to fight through demons, abominations and even templars that had been enthralled by the Desire demons. They had not found any mages alive, but there were few rooms that had been barricaded from the inside. Lenya was fairly sure that if there were any living mages it was on those rooms. She could not believe that the abominations or the demons had locked themselves inside like that.
"Alright Wynne," Lenya said finally. They had been seeing some kind of fleshy growths getting larger, but nothing told her what those were or what they did, "What are those?" She asked and pointed one large growth.
"I don't know. I have never seen anything like that," Wynne replied, "I am sure it is the work of the demons or blood mages."
"And here I thought you mages just like hideous pulsating fleshy sacks," Lenya sighed, "Do you think those are dangerous to us?"
"Considering that those growths have not done anything to us so far, I'd say those are harmless to us. For now at least. There is no telling what those become if they are allowed to grow," Wynne explained.
"Good, thank you," Lenya nodded, "We leave them alone, for now anyway," She ordered and studied their surroundings. Unlike the previous floors there was no bodies near the stairs they've come up, "How many floors we still have to climb?"
"There is one more floor after this and that is the Harrowing chamber floor," Wynne replied, "Harrowing Chamber is also the last floor of the tower."
"Ok, let's go get this done then," Lenya decided and then she heard it. Someone was speaking and that voice had the echo she now knew to be demonic origin. She lifted her hand to make sure others did not make a sound.
As she listened to the speaker it changed it's voice and spoke as it were more than one person. A Desire demon was speaking to a templar who sounded happy.
For once she did not lose it, when she heard the voice of the Desire demon. Maybe it was because it was not speaking to her or she might have satisfied her taste for revenge on that kind of demons. She didn't know, but it was not important anyway.
As she stepped into the room, from where the voices were coming, she saw a Desire demon talking to a templar, who looked blissful. The demon was a bit annoyed about their interruption, but it did not seem hostile.
Lenya entered in a conversation with the demon and she found herself agreeing with the damn thing. Sure, she had enthralled the man to think he had a family, but other than that she had not hurt the man and he did seem happy.
"I'll leave you alone if you show the same courtesy to us," Lenya heard herself saying. She also heard disagreement from Wynne and Alistair. Sten, Morrigan and Leliana seemed to approve. Leliana seemed to be unsure though, if what she did was right or wrong because the man had looked happy. Which was pretty much why she'd decided to let the demon go.
"I want nothing from you," The demon said, "I have all I need," She continued and then talked to the templar before they disappear from the room.
"Ok, we need to go through that central room in order to get around the huge barricade that has been built to block us from getting to the stairs that lead up," Lenya said and turned to leave, but Wynne and Alistair just looked at her instead of doing as she said. That made her sigh, "Yes, I let the Desire demon take that man, but the other option would have been to fight them both. Only way to separate them would have been to kill the templar. He looked happy and so what if that was just an illusion. Sometimes that's all we all have," She said and left. She was not going to talk more about this with them.
When the others came out of the room where the Desire demon had been, Lenya was looking at the door that lead inside the central room of the floor. She had a bad feeling about that room, but it couldn't be helped. If they wanted to get forward they would need to go through that room.
"You feel it too?" Lenya asked from Leliana who was first at her side.
"Yes, something is in there," Leliana nodded.
"Something bad," Lenya nodded, "Unfortunately that's where we need to go if we want to get anywhere," She looked at her companions who all readied themselves and then she opened the door.
In the center of the room, there was standing a really hideous looking creature. It was studying a body of an man when they entered. Very slowly it turned to face them.
"Oh, look. Visitors. I'd entertain you, but... too much effort involved," The demon said in a slow sleepy voice. Lenya felt some power washing over her and she started to feel sleepy as well.
Lenya shook her head to clear it, "Killing demon is enough entertainment for me, thanks," She said, but at the same time she felt awfully drowsy.
"But why?" The demon asked and again that power washed over Lenya. She was dimly aware of the others and she just knew they were struggling against this power as well. "Aren't you tired of all the violence in the world? I know I am," The demon said and the feeling of the power increased. It started to be hard to think.
"Wouldn't you like to just lay down and... forget about this?" The demon asked and Lenya found her resolve faltering. Yes, why wouldn't she do that, "Leave it all behind?"
"Can't... keep eyes open. Someone... pinch me," Lenya heard Alistair say, but he sounded to be a far away.
"I'm not listening your lies, demon," Leliana said, but her voice was faltering as well, "You have... no power over me."
"Resist," Lenya heard Wynne say, but her voice was also faltering. Why should they resist. She thought. "You must resist, else we are all lost," She heard Wynne continuing.
And then again the soothing and calming voice of the demon, "Why do you fight?" It asked. Yes, why did she fight - Lenya thought, "You deserve more... You deserve rest," Damn straight she deserved a rest, "The world will go on without you," It better, Lenya thought as her view was getting hazy. Then as the blackness claimed her she collapsed on the floor. Oblivious of the sounds the other made as they too fell.
A/N: And that is the end of chapter 10 and end of the first part in the Circle. Not much to say about the chapter it self. It's pretty clear. Few changes done to the dialogs again to suit Lenya and her views better.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have enjoyed the chapter. Reviews are always welcome. Good or bad.