Chapter 21 – Secret Tortures

Hales

I woke from a light doze when I heard someone calling out my name. Alistair? I thought groggily, is he back already? Then I realized with a start, the mirror!

His face was ashen, tired and burdened and I frowned, asking him, "Was the war unsuccessful? Didn't our plan-"

"Hales!" his voice was sharp like a whip before he sighed, frustrated and sad, "You need to sit down."

My heart pounded with fear as I babbled, "Is Carver –"

"Sit down, Hales." He repeated and I did, knowing in my heart already that something was very wrong. The images were already in my mind. Carver injured, dead, bleeding and away from me. My breath sliced in and out of me.

"I don't know how to tell you this, sweetheart but… Carver was taken."

"Taken?" I screamed, "How?" The tears came already as my chest tightened.

His voice was anguished and his face tightened into a painful expression, "He pushed me aside. I think Meredith meant to take me but he pushed me aside and she left. Hales – she…she's a mage or at least, she became one. That lyrium idol you found from the Deep Roads? She had it and she drew power from it. She took him and just flew away. Hales… I'm so sorry. It was my fault. I should have -"

I closed my eyes, grief overwhelming me but I still had sense left in me, "It isn't your fault, Alistair." I managed to sob out, knowing that Carver was protecting Alistair rather than Alistair pushing Carver into the fray. It barely registered that Meredith had the lyrium idol. I whispered, "Is he…"

"No! Not yet. I don't think Meredith meant to take him or me if she wasn't about to use him as leverage. I have armies of men following that red trail she's left behind but… Hales, we need you here." Alistair said to me, his eyes warring and conflicted, "If we have any chance of finding Meredith, we need you here. I know it's a trap but if we want to find Carver and Meredith, you need to be here. I don't think anyone can go against her powers, not without you."

The mirror was passed until Anders was facing me, his expression equally as grave, "You need to listen to me very carefully."

I shook my head, interrupting him through tears, "If… If I want to find Carver, I need to be on a shi-"

"There's a way for you to get here. It's risky but it'll be instantaneous." Anders told me with a harsh tone, "You need to be here. Now. Or else Carver will never make it."

I heaved, a wail whining out from my throat and he told me, "Go to my room. In the closet is a thick tome with the word 'Sorcery' on the front cover. Go."

My mind cleared. I had the slim chance of saving Carver. No matter my grief, I had to focus on saving him. My legs carried me swiftly to Anders' room and I put the mirror on the floor, tore open the closet, throwing clothes over my shoulder as I found the tome. "I've got it," I shouted to the mirror and Anders continued, "It's a book of spells that sorcerers can use. You need to find one that can transport you to here."

I flipped through the pages, scanning through the contents page for teleporting spells. When I found it, I ran my fingers to the page and lifted huge sections of the book to hasten my finding the page. It was a complicated weave of lines, strange signs and symbols that I could barely begin to decipher. "I found it, Anders but I don't know about this. This is really complicated." As I read through the instructions, his only reply was, "You need to do this if you want to find Carver."

It was different to the other spells I had previous cast. Those were the remembering of simple images, a small spider web of lines rather than a forever of curling and erratic patterns. Anders called out, "Hales?"

I nodded to myself but answered, "I'm here. I'm reading." As I continually looked at the symbols, the instructions on the margins required my drawing out the symbols on a flat surface. With a piece of chalk, I began drawing the complex curls along the wooden walls. The trinity to symbolize unity. An archway to symbolize a door. A five-pointed star to symbolize power. Curls of eternity to symbolize the hold of sorcery within my body. Along the way, I began to chant the words from the book, arcanum littering from my lips focusing upon Alistair and Kirkwall.

"Salio vello, salio urgeo, salio itero. Salio vello, salio urgeo, salio itero. Salio vello, salio urgeo, salio itero."

The symbols glowed, purple then blue then white. It was like a sheen of pearly sparkle, just as the book had said it would look. I called out to the mirror upon the floor, "Anders? I think – I think I might have done it."

Anders reminded me, "You need to talk to Elissa. Hurry." He disconnected and picking up the mirror, I ran towards Elissa's room where I was certain she would be resting. I burst in without ceremony and she gaped at my heaving form, "What in the Maker?"

"No time to explain," I huffed out, "Carver was taken by Meredith. I've got a teleporting spell ready in Anders' room to take me to Kirkwall. Here, take this," I thrust the mirror at her, "Keep it with you at all times and safe."

She asked no more questions but followed me as I went back to the portal in Anders room. Elissa embraced me and said as firmly as she could, "Be safe and bring Carver home." I nodded and hugging the tome of sorcery that I had found in Anders' closet to my chest, I strode through the portal with my eyes closed, thinking of Alistair the entire time.

I didn't dare open my eyes until I heard Alistair's voice in my ear and his arms around my shoulders, "Hales…" he trailed off, his voice full of concern and torment. When my eyes finally opened, I realized that I had done it. I managed to do a portal spell. I was in Kirkwall. I was with Alistair and Carver – I broke down into wracking sobs, tears of terror welling up. Alistair held me to his chest, continually muttering in my ear, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

I heard Anders and Fenris in the distance, giving us some privacy and then Sebastian's thick brogue cutting across the clearing, "The men have marked the paths as they follow Meredith's trail. Eventually, she must – Hales?" he came to me in a rush, his hands grabbing at my shoulders, "How?"

I touched his chest gently, embracing him. I was happy to see him, just not in those circumstances as Anders answered, "Portal spell. She used her sorcery." He came towards me and took the tome, "It was supposed to be your birthday present… but then –", he broke off with an exasperated sigh.

Then I heard it, that mystical song humming to me from a distance. I shook my head, remembering the lyrium idol, "I can hear the idol… that lyrium idol… the song…"

Fenris took a large piece of red lyrium from his pocket, covered and wrapped in cloth, "Sebastian managed to break a major piece off the idol." I took it from him, watching the red glow spike and jump about.

Anders shrugged, "I don't know what we want to do with it. I know Sandal did something with the piece you found at Bartrand's house and we could go see your uncle but –"

I shook my head, interrupting him, listening to the enchanting but tainted music that echoed in my ears, "Sandal used what he could to make a rune but the rest he just burned away in the fireplace." The song was seductive, the kind that lured you towards darkness, to wallow and revel in evil and asked, "Can you hear that? The music?"

Alistair shook me, "Stop listening to it. I rather my sister not become another Meredith. I say we follow the path marked out now and just burn this piece of… thing."

"I can hear it," answered Anders, "It's faint but I suspect you can hear it better because of your sorcery. I agree with Alistair though, I don't think it is a good idea to leave it lying around."

My mind spoke differently. Meredith had great power. What if I wasn't strong enough? It sang to me, luring me with sinful temptations. Come…use me… find my other piece… succumb to the power… "I can… I can use it," I said, each syllable sounded out slowly from being so distracted. Use me… kill… maim… she's got your love… use me to kill her…"I can use this to find Carver… use it to kill Meredith. I'd be… powerful."

I felt it wrenched from my grasp, Fenris snarling as he threw it harsh against the ground. I felt my trance shake away, "What? Fenris – No, I –"

He shoved me against a tree, his fingers biting into my shoulder, "No! I will not watch you become a monster! An abomination!"

Desperation fuelled me to making false promises, "I can resist it!"

"No, you can't!" Sebastian cried out, "You could barely resist it just then!"

"Yes, I can," I insisted as the others shook their heads, "I can save Carver with this!"

Anders told me, "You have enough power!" and from within him, I could feel Justice rebelling against me.

Alistair scooped up the idol and I watched his movements with beady eyes, how he slid into one of his many pockets. "I don't want you using this unless you have to," he said resolutely, "so we'll compromise. We'll take it with us and destroy it when we're done with Meredith."

But already, my mind was dissenting from the idea. I could still hear the song, feel its power, sense its touch and because of Carver, I wanted to be a part of it. If it meant saving Carver, did it matter that it was evil? It was poisoning my mind and I didn't even realize it. The others weren't so affected.

We rode upon horses, following the marked paths of Sebastian's men. As we rode, Alistair tried to recount to as much detail about the happenings and how Carver was taken but I could barely concentrate upon his words. All I could think of was how to save Carver and that how was the idol, hidden deep in Alistair's pocket. In my distracted mind, I nearly forgot my own powers, and the connection Carver and I shared. I could have searched for him myself, if only the idol hadn't been around.

I felt my mana syncing in beat and time to the music of the idol, felt my powers growing in strength from darkness rather than light. Though I noticed, with somewhat of paranoia nervousness, that the men seemed to notice how quiet I was becoming or how Justice was flaring up with righteous anger at my obvious caving, I did nothing but continue to let my power grow.

Meredith would know pain like nothing else in this world.

Carver

It was as though Meredith were some kind of giant bird. I could feel claws holding my shoulders, talons digging deep into my flesh. It ripped right through my muscles and knowing that I could either drop to my death or wait, my arms hung onto scaly feet or legs. She was travelling so quickly that I could barely see. I was held such that I could just see the men pursuing us, following the red trail that she was leaving behind. Everything was a blur but occasionally, when the blurs of black seemed to trail behind, I loosened what pieces of armour I could, trying to leave a trail for them to follow.

It was the lyrium pulses that killed though. Humans can't take lyrium, not in raw form and each pulse was burning my flesh, the back of my neck and edging towards my face. Each push of power was like acid upon my skin and veins, peeling and scraping the flesh away, melting at muscle and sinew.

I was in agony. It stung my eyes, burned away the flesh of my cheeks. When I looked up, I watched my hands turn into red muscles rather than pale skin. I was bleeding away, the lyrium eating at me for I could not touch it. And the hatred, I could feel it the way I could feel Hales' love when her magic bound to me. Meredith was everything Hales was not.

I felt my world fade in and out, everything going up in smoke, blazing and fiery around me. Pain surrounded me, heated sizzling of sinew and muscle as I screamed with the constant torture though it was apparently not even intentional.

My mind was slowly degenerating. I could feel how each thought took more effort, how the pain was distracting me more and more, how everything was agony. I became limp from the energy it took just to keep breath, to keep myself alive. All thoughts left me. All that remained was that I had to stay alive, stay strong.

Hales. Hales. Hales. It had taken so long to be together, I couldn't let her go after only a few weeks of happiness.

Then I felt myself lowered to the ground, watched as the men following us explode into a mass of quivering flesh, a large pool of blood marking the road. I was helpless, defeated and weak as I felt myself dragged to a tree, strung up to its branches by my wrists and finally, finally, when all I knew was pain, my world finally blackened and I knew nothing.

A/N: Short chapter but next chapter should be posted within the next few days! That's a definite promise!

Please read and review!

Love, Ann