A shooting pain soared through her chest. Nas gasped and swatted at the mage.
"Damn it, Anders!"
Nas was sure she saw amusement go through his eyes. He was enjoying it.
That sick bastard.
But she wasn't angry at him, she was just tried. Lying back down, she let Anders continue to work on her hip. She held a thin sheet over her breasts and front. He couldn't get to the wound with her robes on, so she had had to take them off.
Her eyes wondered over the walls. She had never been inside the Kirkwall Circle before, and she now realised that she wanted nothing more to leave. It was like a prison. After her fight with Fenris, he had carried her inside, amidst the glares from her friends. Orison had led them to a small bedchamber where Anders had told her to strip. Fenris had growled at the mage, but he only gave her a stern look.
Eventually, she had had to send Fenris out. He still had the blood rage going through him from their fight, and she knew he would gladly string the mage up to dry.
She still couldn't believe what had happened. Fenris had some back. He had chosen her.
Nas knew he would never accept her choice, but he followed her anyway. He would live and die for her, fight with her until the bitter end. Her heart dropped as she realised how close she had come to dying. He was ready to crush her heart.
And for a moment, she thought he was going to.
Anders' hand gently ran up and down her hip. She felt the tingle of his magic across her skin. Looking down, Nas saw the focus in his eyes. She was sad at the pain on his face. Even though he would now never admit it, she knew he loved her. In some part of her heart, she mourned what they would never have.
But she would never regret her choice.
As if sensing her eyes, Anders looked up. His eyes locked with hers and she pulled away. She saw his eyes go sad before he looked down again.
"You've made a mistake, you know. You should have killed him."
Nas's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
"How can you forgive him for what he's done?"
"I could say the same about you."
Anders' eyes flashed as he looked up again.
"I did what I did for justice."
"Justice? The act, or the abomination?"
Anders clenched his jaws. She saw the anger in his face as he stared her down. He knew she was weak, but she would still kick his ass if he wanted her to. His face relaxed suddenly and he pulled away from her.
"You have a concussion but I healed the cut. Your hip should be fine too, but you need some sleep."
Nas put a hand on her hip. She felt the small risen mark that was the cut, but other than a ting scar there was no sign of their fight. And then she remembered.
Looking over at her bare shoulders, she saw his markings burnt into her skin. He had been in such a rage that he hadn't thought about how hot his markings could be – especially to a mage. Mages were sensitive to lyrium, and when it ignites it could burn them worse than a normal human.
She ran her hand over the burns. They were identical to those on his hands. Her skin was raised and red, and it hurt when she touched them. But a small part of her was glad for them. In some way, she bore his markings with him.
Anders made some kind of sound. Nas turned her head to see him scowling at her markings with disgust.
"Something to say, Anders?"
His eyes narrowed. His aura was flaring a deep green mixed with red. He looked like a fire.
"I think you're an idiot."
Nas's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Oh?"
"He's going to turn on you like a rabid dog and next time he won't be so merciful. A dog is only loyal to the master that gives it enough fresh meat."
Nas felt a smile tugging at her lips. Anders stood with his back to the door, and the mage hadn't noticed the figure behind him.
"You don't know much about dogs then, it seems."
Anders spun on his heel. Fenris gave him a stern look. He took a step towards the mage, and Nas was surprised to see Anders back away.
"But dogs have been known to turn on intruders."
Anders' face darkened. She thought for a moment he was going to fight the elf, but instead the mage turned to her. He was going to say something but thought better of it. He turned back to Fenris.
"She needs rest."
And then he was gone.
Fenris watched him leave. Nas found herself studying his back. His armour was scratched and some of his buckles needed tightening. His hair was sticking out and she saw his skin had blood smears. When he turned to face her, his face was tired.
There were black circles under his eyes and his face looked gaunt, as if he hadn't eaten properly in a while. His skin was pale, making his markings stand out prominently. Nas slowly sat herself up, pulling the sheet with her. He stood so still that he could have passed for a statue.
"Fenris?"
His big eyes looked at her. The green that drew her in wasn't bright anymore. He looked dull and lifeless. Nas felt herself swallow back tears. She hadn't noticed how he had been wasting away through the weeks.
She shakily got to her feet. He continued to stare at her face. She wrapped the sheet around her as she shakily took a few steps towards him.
When she was within arm's reach, she stopped. His eyes searched hers for something, but Nas only smiled gently. His jaw clenched as he tore his eyes away from her. He looked at her body. Slowly, he raised his hand.
Nas saw his fingers shake as he gently pulled the sheet away from her arms. As her burns became visible, she heard him suck in a breath. He didn't touch her skin, but he ran his armoured hands over the marks. His guilt hit her like a physical force. She looked back into his face and saw that water had gathered in his eyes.
His hand hovered over her skin, over her neck and over her head where it had been opened. The blood stain was still on her forehead, and it seemed to be all he could see.
"Fenris."
As she whispered his name, the elf took in another breath, but this time it was shaky. Nas reached out and touched his cheek. He kept his head down to hide it, but she felt the moisture on his cheek. Closing her eyes, Nas felt her mana flare in her chest.
It moved down her arm and into her palm. The light glowed softly against his cheek. As it touched the veins on his skin, the lyrium burst into light.
Fenris gasped again.
He looked up into her face. She didn't know what to say. She didn't have to say anything.
Fenris gently opened his arms and Nas took one step into them. He engulfed her and pulled her into his embrace. His lyrium made her skin tingle, but it didn't burn. Fenris kissed her nose, her cheek, her eyes. He made his way softly around her neck and up to her ear. As he planted a kiss on her lobe, she felt his breathing had deepened, as has her own.
"I'm yours."
Nas dropped her arms, letting the sheet fall to the floor. They were in the middle of a war. They could both be dead by morning, but in that moment, nothing else mattered. In that moment, only they mattered.
A young mage gave Nas some robes to wear, as her own had been ripped to shreds. She felt uncomfortable in them. Not just because they were pink, but because she felt like one of the Circle mages. She had been lucky enough to live a free life, and now she felt like she had been caught –even if she was still fighting.
The tower's supply of lyrium had been watered down and shared between the mages. Nas had been given a mug full, but she still felt drained and weak. Even sharing a precious hour with Fenris hadn't helped. Her head hurt. Her chest hurt. And she felt like her mana was being spread thinly.
A warm hand brushed the back of her neck. Nas smiled as Fenris walked past her. He didn't look back, but he didn't need to.
They were all in the biggest room of the tower – well, what was left of them anyway. Officially the room was the dining hall, but now it had become the hospital-recuperation room. Her companions were spread around the tower, preparing or the assault. According to a very brave mage, the templars were gathering outside the tower. It looked like they would be fighting for their lives in the dismal prison.
She rubbed her forehead. The pounding behind her eyes was becoming unbearable. She sat on a small bench by a barred window. Looking out, all she could see was darkness. It wasn't just the headache that was making her agitated. The mage that had braved going outside had told them that the assault was being led by a dark-haired man. She sighed.
It could be anyone.
But a feeling deep in her gut told her she was being childish.
Nas turned away from the window and leaned back. She saw Merrill sat in the corner with Varric. He was gently rubbing her tummy while she leaned back, her eyes closed. It damn near broke her heart bringing them two into a war. Merrill should have eating whatever took her fancy and growing fat. Instead she could be killed before dawn.
Her heart sank. The idea made the hair on the back of her neck stand on edge. Before she could totally fall into her despair, a warm hand touched her shoulder.
She looked up and saw Anders. She was going to make some snide comment when she saw the look on his face.
"What? Anders, what's wrong?"
"I need a hand, Hawke. And your magic."
Without a second thought, Nas nodded.
She followed the tired mage up stairs and around corners until they came to a small room. Anders opened the door to see it was a bedroom. Orsino was sat on the edge of a small bed. His hair was sticking out in a tired mess, and his face was drained of all colour. Nas looked down to see such a small figure lying motionless in the bed.
As she walked closer, she saw the little boy's face was wrapped in blood bandages.
Nas opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't form words. As if sensing her shock, Anders turned to her sadly.
"His name is Aden. He was at the top of the tower with the other magelings. He looked out a window to see what was going on and the templars... they..."
Orsino suddenly got to his feet. "The fired an arrow at him."
Anders sighed heavily.
"You can guess the rest."
Nas felt tears come to her eyes. Without looking away, she walked over to the small boy. He couldn't have been any older than nine, maybe ten years old. His face was deathly pale and it seemed a miracle that his chest was still rising.
She sat gently on the bed. The bandage was wrapped around his right. His lifeblood was still seeping from the wound. Blinking back her grief, she looked back at Anders.
"What do you need?"
Anders looked relived. "I need your magic. The mages here have tried, but they haven't had as much time to develop their powers like you have. I need you to feed me your energy. The boy is deep in the Fade, and he doesn't have much time left. He'll lose his eye, but at least he'll have his life."
Nas nodded.
Anders nodded back and walked over to the boy. She watched as Anders gently took off the top layer of his robes, leaving just a thin layer of clothing over him. Nas looked away and back at the young boy. She suddenly found herself gently stroking the soft skin on his clean cheek. She had never dreamed that she would ever feel like this... motherly.
Nas stood up as Anders leant over the boy with both of his hands on Aden's chest. He turned slightly to her.
"Just put your hands on my shoulders. Keep your mana flowing into me. If you feel yourself getting weak, just let go. The connection will be broke."
Nas nodded sadly. He mimicked her, and then turned back to the boy.
She wiped her clammy hands on her robes before setting them gently on his shoulders. Before she could feel his muscles, Nas made herself close her eyes and focus on the young boy. She felt Anders shoulders tense as he started to heal Aden.
Nas called her mana to her. Slowly, she managed to get it to trail into his back. Anders shoulders twitched at first, and then she started to feel something else.
Under her fingers, it felt like... skin. It was soft, but there was something about it that made her heart jump. She felt it entwine around her mana, and it started to drag her powers into Anders. Nas felt her stomach drop, but she couldn't find the will to pull away.
Something was holding her hands, drinking the mana from her fingertips.
Before she realised what she was doing, her fingers were digging into him. Her breathing became shorter as the essence continued to drink from her. When it had all of her mana, it turned on her spirit. Nas felt herself gasp as it started sucking on her life energy.
Small black dots started to appear in her vision, but she still couldn't pull away from it. Whatever it was, it wasn't Anders. She felt something... wrong about it. It was almost... evil.
Her legs buckled and she hit the floor, but her hands were still grabbing at Anders's skin.
The sound around her became dim and her mind became foggy. The warmth from her hands was withdrawing as her feet became numb.
She barely felt it when something gripped her from behind. As the essence was ripped from her, she heard a kind of howling in her head. She landed heavily on something, but as she opened her eyes, she couldn't really see what. All she saw was black hair before the world around her disappeared.
The first thing that drew her from the Fade was shouting. She couldn't make out the words, but she recognised the voices. And that was what surprised her.
"It's still a demon!"
"No! What you traded your soul for – that was a demon! Justice is a spirit! A benevolent, sympathetic essence!"
"An essence that fed on Nasara's life?"
It became silent. She felt the magic crackling in the air. Nas managed to force her eyes open, but her vision was still blurred. From what she could gather, they were in a different room. She was surprised to see what looked like Merrill standing in front of her. Anders was facing Merrill, but all she could see was his aura flashing dangerous colours.
"M... Me-"
A shooting pain ran through her chest. Merrill span on her heel and ran over to her. She dropped herself on the bed. Her dainty, cold hand touched her forehead, soothing her heated skin.
"Hawke... are you alright?"
Nas wanted to reply, but she couldn't find the energy. Her whole body felt as if it had been stripped of skin, rolled in salt and then sewn back on with a rusty needle. And then some.
She saw Anders move but Merrill turned her head. The elf raised her hand and something pulsed inside it menacingly.
"I suggest you leave, now. Before Fenris gets here."
Anders seemed to take the hint and he disappeared in a wave of black robes.
Merrill turned back to her. Nas's vision had become a bit clearer now, but she still couldn't focus on the elf's sweet face. Her tattoos had blurred together, making a black mark on her normally rosy cheeks.
"Merrill... what...?"
Her throat felt like sandpaper.
"Anders used your magic and his own combined to heal the little boy. Which worked. But... but whatever's inside him. Justice, he calls it. Well, he liked your magic a bit too much. Started to drink you dry. I came up to help, to find you dying by his feet."
Nas felt her eyes widen. She had never heard Merrill sound so... bitter.
"Thank you," was all she managed to say.
Merrill nodded. Suddenly, there was a crash so loud that Nas felt herself wince. She looked at Merrill questioningly. The elf looked at her, but her eyes were sad.
"The templars have started attacking the tower. So far, they've only just got inside but... I don't know how long we'll last, Lethellan." Her voice broke on the last word.
Nas saw Merrill's eyes fill with tears as she subconsciously rubbed her bump.
"I promise... I'll keep... you... safe."
Merrill smiled, but it was sad. "Please forgive me, Lethellan."
Nas frowned. It wasn't until she felt the cold biting of a blade in her shoulder that she realised why Merrill was crying. Nas sucked in a breath, but it was jagged. She wanted to scream at the pain, but she was too shocked to open her mouth.
Merrill pulled the blade out, spraying blood over her face. Nas felt the warmth oozing onto the sheets, but she couldn't move to stop it. She gave Merrill a confused looked. But the elf didn't meet her eyes. She got to her feet with the blade still in her hands. Nas heard her chanting in what she guessed was elvish.
She curled her hands around the blade and yanked down, spilling her own lifeblood onto the sheets. She looked back at the door before turning back to Nas.
Nas watched in a fascinated horror as Merrill draw the power from her own blood. The crimson life began to glow and raise, turning into a red smoke. It wrapped around Merrill's hand before whirling its way up her arm. Nas saw Merrill wince, but the elf began to lower her hand down to Nas's bleeding shoulder.
With one last look into her eyes, Merrill slammed the magic into her shoulder.
Nas felt a scream rip from her throat as the magic shot into her veins. She felt like her blood was boiling under her skin.
And then it was gone.
Nas lay panting on the bed. She felt sweat over her body, and her shoulder felt like someone had ripped it open with their nails. She felt herself trembling, but surprisingly, she felt... alive. Besides from her shoulder everything felt alive.
She sat up, letting the covers fall over her.
"Merrill!"
Nas tried to scramble from the bed but she got tangled. Falling onto the floor, she gathered the elf into her arms. Merrill's face was pale and her body was motionless. Nas lay her on her lap. She quickly put her hand on Merrill swollen stomach. Without a second thought, her mana flared into her palm. Nas sent it forward cautiously, afraid of what she might feel.
Something touched her mana then, a gentle touch. It was like a curious finger, but it made Nas smile.
"Baby..."
Nas ran a finger over Merrill's cheek. "Your baby's fine."
Merrill nodded before her body went slack again. At that moment, Fenris charged into the room. He stopped dead at the sight before them. Nas saw the dagger by Merrill.
"Help me get her onto the bed, she fainted."
Fenris nodded, rushing over. He helped Nas pick Merrill up just as Varric came running into the room.
Nas explained that Merrill had been feeling faint, and then she had collapsed.
"She must be exhausted," said Nas, kicking the dagger quickly under the bed.
Varric nodded, taking her hand. Fenris turned to Nas. She opened her mouth to speak when a vibration went through the tower, sending dust down from the ceiling.
"What's the situation?"
Fenris 's stony expression didn't change.
"Grim."
She nodded and looked at Varric. He nodded to them. She watched with a heavy heart as he kissed Merrill's forehead. He then leant down and kissed her stomach. Nas felt a tugging in her own stomach. She would never know what that felt like.
Varric got to his feet. "Let's go."
As the three of them ran down the steps into the Entrance Hall, the massacre in front of her made Nas's stomach turn. Templars slashed and hacked into mages that hadn't even hit adulthood. Some defended themselves well, but they were no mach.
Anders stood to the back, casting spell after spell at any templar he could hit. Aveline fought next to Isabella, crushing skulls with her sword. Isabella fought like lightning, running and hacking across the room like a crazed demon. But it wasn't enough.
Mages were falling quicker than they could cast spells. Orsino fought right in the middle. He was blood-stained and haggard. As each apprentice fell, his movements became more desperate. She saw him looking into the dead faces of the children he no doubt raised.
The few senior enchanters that were there were managing to keep the templars away from the doors leading into the main tower. Nas knew there were nearly twenty children in the top of the tower, and if the templars got through then they would all be butchered like animals. Anger started in her stomach, so raw and uncontrolled that her mana flared without being summoned.
With a furious cry, Nas raised her hands and threw a ball of fire into a big group of templars rushing through the doors.
Some caught alight and ran around screaming. Others jumped out of the way.
Fenris pulled his sword from his back and charged, but Nas stayed on the stairs. She drew her staff and filled it with mana. Throwing it forward, she hit a templar in the chest. Without looking at him again, Nas threw ball after ball of mana at any templar in her sight.
Calling her fire to her again, she raised it above her head. This time, she sent it down in a fire storm.
She threw spell after spell, freezing, burning and electrocuting the templars. She threw another spell, but it was weak, dissolving on impact. She lowered her staff and took a deep breath.
There was a sudden noise in front of her.
Nas looked up to see something shiny speeding towards her. With a cry she jumped to the side, landing awkwardly on her hand. She cried out, but didn't have time to stop. The templar charged her again, but she rolled away, falling down the steps.
The templar jumped forward and brought his sword down again. Nas raised her hands in defence, creating a small barrier. The sword hit it and bounced back, but Nas felt the blow as if it had actually hit her. She sent more mana into it, but it was slowly getting weaker.
He brought his sword down again, and it landed closer to her chest. She cried out.
There was madness in the templar's eyes as he raised the sword again. Bringing it down, Nas closed her eyes.
A metallic clang made her eyes fly open. She saw a thick sword hanging over her face, blocking the templar's blow. She turned and saw Fenris; his eyes were glowing from the light of his skin. He let out a snarl as he threw the templar back.
He jumped over Nas and charged the templar, slashing and hacking until the templar was in two pieces.
Nas got unsteadily onto her feet. She felt her mana in her chest, but it was tired. And so was she. Turning around, she saw Isabella stab the last templar under the arm. Orsino had made some kind of silver barrier at the door.
At the moment – they were safe.
Nas walked down one step and her knee buckled. She landed heavily on her rump. With a sigh, she put her head in her hands.
"Here."
Nas looked up. Aveline stood in front of her, holding out a small flask. She took it at brought it to her lips as the Guard-Captain took a seat next to her. Aveline was splattered with blood which contrasted against the paleness of her skin.
Taking a sip of the whiskey, Nas winced as it went down. She passed it back to Aveline who drank deep.
"Have you... heard anything from Donnic?"
Nas saw a flash of worry go across Aveline's green eyes. "No."
Nas nodded.
Aveline passed her the flask again. They watched as the mages gathered their dead. The dead templars were put with them also, creating a pile towards the back of the room. The floor was slick with blood. Many of the mages were crying, others looked too exhausted to cry.
But it was Orsino that caught her attention. He looked like a walking corpse. He went to every dead mage, closed their eyes and took an amulet from around their necks. He whispered a few words before nodding to the other mages to add the body to the pile.
Fenris walked over to the mages. She saw the confliction in his aura, but he helped carry the dead.
Taking another deep sip of the whiskey, Nas wiped her mouth. She left her staff on the steps while she walked over and helped clear the dead.
The next assault was far worse than the first. It seemed like no matter how many templars went down, two more were there to replace him. Nas's mana was depleted so all she could do was fight with her staff. She used the sword end to slash and hack as many as she could, but her arms were shaking.
Orsino had began screaming and throwing more mana than sense. He spat curses and laughed at every templar that fell. He was such a sight that one templar even tried to run away.
Merrill had come down but she was kept well back, and guarded by Varric.
Nas spun her staff around, smashing a templar over the head. She saw four mages flanking an apprentice.
"Isabella! To me!"
She turned to charge the group, when something made her blood run cold.
"Hello, Sister."
Nas spun on her heel and her heart dropped. Carver stood by the entrance with two templars behind him. His face was hard, but his eyes were sad. Nas watched as he slowly drew his sword.
"Carver... no..."
She shook her head, but the idiot advanced.
Carver was refreshed and full of energy, whereas Nasara had been fighting relentlessly for hours. He had the advantage over her as he swung his greatsword at her stomach. She danced back, but only narrowly avoided a gutting.
"Carver, this is crazy! What the hell are you doing?" she yelled, but he only snarled.
He swung at her again and she raised her staff to meet it. The force vibrated through the metal, making her wrists hurt. She saw blood rage in his eyes and knew she wasn't going to knock any sense into him while he had the advantage.
With more energy than she thought she had, Nas spun and raised her staff. It hit his blade, but Nas raised the blunt end, knocking him in the face. Blood sprayed out as he stepped back. He put his hand to his nose. As he pulled it away, Nas lowered her staff.
"I can't fight you, Carver. This is stupid! There's already a bloody war going on!"
He breathed heavily. "If you don't fight, then you die bloodmage!"
With a warcry, he ran forward again. Nas managed to raise her staff, but she wasn't strong enough to block the brunt of the blow. Her staff clattered onto the ground. She called whatever mana she had left and brought it to her hands.
She grunted as she threw a spirit ball at him. It hit him in the chest and threw him back, giving Nas a chance to get her staff.
Carver was relentless, charging her again and again.
Nas managed to push him back, but her attempts were weak. She saw him laugh as he shook off one of her spells. He swiped his sword at her, knocking the staff away.
She stood before him, weaponless and exhausted.
"What are you going to do, Carver? Kill me? Your only family?"
His eyes flickered wildly as she saw the hate within them.
"You are not my family. You became my enemy the day you turned to bloodmagic. DIE, MALIFICAR!"
Nas gasped as he raised his hands. They turned white as he sent a force towards her. It hit her in the chest and raised her into the air. But it wasn't magic. It was the complete opposite.
The light didn't just drain her, it completely dissolved every bit of her magic. It wasn't sucking at her, it was absorbing her magic, drying her out. She felt her skin become so dry that it was cracking. Her lips split as her throat became parchment.
Suddenly, the light stopped.
Nas fell onto her knees. She felt the magic come back into her so quickly that it knocked the air from her lungs. Her lips were still dry, however, and they were bleeding.
She looked up to see a throwing knife embedded deeply in Carver's heart. He still had his hands in front of him, but his sword clattered to the ground. Nas whimpered as he suddenly fell backwards. She reached forward with her hands. Looking down, they were cracked too, and bleeding. But she didn't care.
Dragging herself forward, she managed to get close enough to him to pull his body around. She moved forward until his head rested on her lap. He coughed as a small line of blood dripped down his chin. And felt her lips shaking. A tear landed on Carver's cheek.
"Why?" she whispered.
Carver looked up at her. His body was shaking as he coughed and spluttered. His breathing was laboured, but he looked into her eyes.
"You're my sister... and I'll always love you for that... but I hate everything you are."
Nas sucked in a breath. A tear rolled from his eye. He held up his hand and Nas took it. His body convulsed as he coughed once more. His breathing against her became harder to do and then... it stopped.
He exhaled as his body went slack. Nas felt herself shake as sobs racked her body. She leant down onto his chest and cried against the cold of his armour.
"You idiot!" she screamed. She sobbed again. "Magic was in your blood! How could you! HOW COULD YOU!"
She shook his body, but he remained motionless. Something touched her shoulder and she looked up.
"I'm sorry, sweet... he was going to kill you."
Nas looked into the Rivaini's face. She had a gash across her cheek which was bleeding. Nas nodded and looked back down at Carver. Isabella leaned down next to her.
"I failed him, Isabella. He was my little brother and he... he hated me."
Isabella put a hand on her shoulder. "I know, precious. You did everything you could, but his mind was poisoned."
Nas felt another tear fall down her cheek. Isabella squeezed her shoulder and Nas looked at her. She was surprised to see tears in the pirate queen's eyes. Before she knew what she was doing, she lunged herself into Isabella's arms. The pirate seemed to expect it, wrapping her arms around her.
Nas leaned on her shoulder and cried like she had never done before.
Isabella rocked her slightly whilst gripping her tightly.
After a few minutes, she felt the weight of Carver's body being lifted from her lap. Isabella continued to hold her until the sobbing became whimpers.
Nas opened her eyes and pulled away. She wiped the wetness from her face. Isabella gave her a questioning look. Nas nodded. The pirate helped her to her feet where she saw all of her friends gathered around them.
Nas didn't looked at the as she walked over to what was to become the pyre. Carver's body lay amongst them. Another tear fell down her cheek as she leant down to him. She took his hand and saw a thick ring on his middle finger.
He had found the ring when they first came to Kirkwall. Maker, it seemed so long ago.
She kissed his hand as she took the ring. Standing up, she took a few steps back. She felt a figure come up behind her. Fenris wrapped his arm across the top of her chest. She leaned into him for support as they all gathered around the bodies. Orsino came forward as Nas put the ring on the right index finger.
"So many..." he whispered. He looked down and raised his hand.
Throwing the ball of flame into the pyre, Nas took a deep breath. The bodies were engulfed quickly. A young mage walked forward.
"Maker, take these souls to Your side and let them forever walk with You."
Fenris tightened his grip. Nas felt more tears come. She turned and buried her face in his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and held her for the few precious moments of silence that they had.