They finally made it to Kinloch Hold or more commonly known as the Circle Tower. It was home to the mages and was in the middle of Lake Calenhad. As the group approached Bodhan settled his card near the tavern while the others looked out at the tower wondering how to get across it. Kester noticed the lot and frowned, "No use trying to get across now. It's been ordered no one is allowed inside."
"Why? What is happening?" Evelyn asked as she approached Kester.
"Something to do with magic I suppose…They ordered that no one be allowed in and now Carrol in charge of my ferry boat." Kester frowned as he looked over to the docks longingly. He sighed then looked to Evelyn, "What business do you have at the tower, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Well I'm a Grey Warden and I seek the aid of the Mages as foresworn in these treaties." Evelyn replied calmly as she looked at Kester then looked to the tower wondering what could possibly be wrong there. Her gaze shifted to the docks where Carrol stood with his templar armor gleaming in the light of the setting sun. He looked arrogant and bored with his post.
Kester shifted uneasily on his feet as he looked at the group then spoke up, "I wish you well then Warden. Maker be with you for something foul is in that tower now."
"Thank you." Evelyn smiled a little then moved towards the docks before stopping. She glanced at the group, "Alistair, Shale and Leliana…Come with me. The rest of you stay here."
"So I get to stand out here and stare at a tower like looks like a giant phallus? How wonderful for me." Morrigan muttered then moved to read one of her books.
Sten crossed his arms, "So be it but I do not like this."
Dax whined softly then moved to follow Evelyn. She looked at the mabari, "Sorry, boy but I'd rather not have you zapped into some strange thing…Stay here and guard. I will be back soon." He gave her the sad puppy eyes before stepping backwards very slowly while his mistress continued towards the dock.
The footsteps that seemed to echo on the dock caused Carrol to turn around and look at the approaching party. He glared at them, especially at Evelyn before he spoke harshly, "No one is allowed across, High Commander's orders."
"I have business with the Circle." Evelyn stated as she put up her mask of diplomacy. She felt the tension in the air between her and the templar which wasn't going to end well from the look of things.
"And who do you think you are?" Carrol crossed his arms as he stared at her hoping to exert his authority.
Evelyn crossed her arms as well, "I'm a Grey Warden."
"And I'm the Queen of Ferelden." Carrol snapped back.
"Explains a lot…" Alistair muttered under his breath.
Evelyn smirked a little and was glad Alistair could still crack a joke despite their little falling out. She looked at Carrol, "I have treaties that say the Circle will send their aid should we call for it."
"Is that so? Well show them to me." Carrol gestured for the treaties but saw Evelyn glare.
Shale grew tired of the banter, "Move aside and I will just squish the parts that are not necessary to live."
Carrol blinked at the golem then stammered, "Never mind! Just follow me."
The group looked at Shale who just shrugged innocently. Evelyn just grinned, "A golem after my own heart."
They made their way across the lake while Shale walked the bottom since the boat wouldn't hold his weight. It felt like at any moment the boat would spring a leak and sink them to the bottom but somehow it held together. Evelyn was at easy when it came to being on the water. She stared at the waves as they splashed up against the side of the boat and hummed the song her mother sang to her as a child. Leliana listened to her and hummed with her knowing the song rather well. The two seemed to synchronize as they hummed the soothing tune. It wasn't until Carrol spoke up that the humming stopped.
"Here you go. Now get off my boat." Carrol made sure they took anything they brought with them and was about to make another comment when Shale rose up from the water and joined the others. Carrol gulped then sat back down in the boat and watched the party move into the tower.
"Bar the doors and make sure nothing gets out."
Templars were moving frantically trying to carry out the orders and looked as if they had seen something from a nightmare. Evelyn felt a chill run down her spine as she approached Knight-Commander Greagoir . His eyes fell on her, "Who let you in here? I specifically ordered that no one is allowed to cross the lake."
"I am a Grey Warden and I have come to call on the Circle for aid." Evelyn said plainly as she stood her ground.
"I am tired of the Grey Wardens incessant need for aid…We have problems of our own." Greagoir replied tersely then turned to the huge double doors that led into the tower, "The Mages are lost."
"What do you mean lost?" Alistair replied with a raised brow.
"All we know is that something caused Abominations to appear and they attacked the Mages and Templars. We had no choice but to bar the doors and send for the Rite of Annulment."
"Rite of Annulment?" Evelyn looked confused as she looked from Greagoir to Alistair. Both men had such a grim expression on their faces that she knew it wasn't a good thing. She looked at Greagoir hoping for an explanation.
"It gives the Templars the right to cleanse the tower of all Mages…" Alistair replied darkly and didn't favor the idea.
Evelyn couldn't believe she was heard that and scowled at Greagor, "But there could be still Mages alive in there!"
"I cannot hope for that." Greagoir replied as he looked at Evelyn almost pained by the fact he had sent for the Rite.
"I'm going in then." Evelyn said and pushed past Greagoir. She headed right for the door with Leliana by her side and Shale trailing behind her. Alistair hesitated but then followed as Greagoir spoke up.
"If you go in there is no turning back. I will not open the door."
Evelyn didn't even glance back as she looked at the large doors and then to the two Templars guarding them, "Open them."
"Before you go, Warden," Greagori said as he looked at the group, "I will accept nothing except Irving's word that the Tower is safe."
"I said open the doors." Evelyn ordered as she glared at the Templars.
They looked at each other then at Greagoir who just nodded. The huge doors opened slowly with groan that seemed to echo the pain of the tower. Screams were heard within which almost gave Evelyn pause not to go in but she couldn't let the innocent suffer. She took a deep breath then moved in with her group beside her. None of them looked back.
After hearing the scream there was nothing but stillness. The hairs on the back of Evelyn's neck stood straight as she moved forward and checked every room for survivors only to find maimed bodies and blood smeared all over the place. She paused at one body of a young boy and knelt down. The boy's eyes were wide open and scared. She felt a pang in her chest as she flashed back to Oren's face and how he was tranquil, but she had to wonder if he too was scared and out of respect the guards just closed his eyes. With care she closed the eyes of the boy then slowly stood up.
"Abominations…" Leliana whispered, "Like the demon we faced in Honnleath?"
Alistair nodded, "That was a desire demon…I'm betting we'll run into more here if it is as bad as Greagoir says."
"Either way they will squish like the others." Shale said with confidence.
Evelyn said nothing and decided to move onward. Leliana and Alistair exchanged looks of concern but felt it wasn't a good time to voice them as they followed Evelyn towards another chamber. They saw an elder mage destroy one of the Abominations while keeping some sort of barrier up. Evelyn moved quickly to help but skid to a halt when the mage turned on her.
"Stand back, Warden or I will strike you down."
"Wynne?" Evelyn frowned as she held her hands up to show she was not here to kill her. She watched Wynne lower her staff slowly, "Tell me what's happened."
"The tower is overrun by these Abominations…Uldred did this." Wynne glared at the barrier then looked to Evelyn, "Why are you here, Warden?"
"I was in the neighborhood…" Evelyn joked then smiled a bit before letting it fade, "In truth I need the help of the Circle and seeing how things are…"
"You decided to help us." Wynne finished and sighed before she nodded to Petra to take care of the children with Kinnon. Once they were moved to a safe spot Wynne looked at Evelyn then at the others, "So what happens now?"
"We clear the tower before the Rite of Annulment comes." Evelyn said as she frowned not liking the idea that Greagoir sent for such a request.
Wynne's heart sank and she almost wanted to fall to her knees. Her eyes dimmed as she looked down at the floor, "So Greagoir believes the Circle is lost."
"Not necessarily." Evelyn countered and put her hand on her hip, "We need to find Irving. That's the only way Greagoir will stop the Annulment."
Wynne's eyes seemed to spark as she looked at Evelyn, "Then our path is set and I will be coming with you."
"That means we'll need to leave someone behind." Alistair suggested and looked at Evelyn, "Maybe Shale?"
"Perhaps we should leave the whiny templar." Shale mocked as it eyed Alistair.
Leliana frowned, "Well the mages can protect themselves I don't see why we all can't go."
Evelyn shrugged a bit, "Flip a coin or pull straws. We're wasting time." She moved towards the barrier and drew her blades. Her face held the look of determination though her mind raced over the possibility of dying here in the tower. She twisted the blades in her hands showing her restlessness while the group decided that none would stay behind.
Petra looked at Wynne worried, "Be careful, Wynne…Maybe I should go with you and…"
"No, Petra." Wynne replied softly, "I will be alright. Stay with the children." She moved to Evelyn and touched her shoulder before waving her hand at the barrier to dissolve it.
Evelyn could tell Wynne was tired, "Are you sure you want to come? I don't want you getting hurt."
"My dear your concern it heartwarming but I have some energy left in me to knock that bastard Uldred to hell." Wynne replied with a grin before gesturing for Evelyn to lead the way.
There seemed to be no end to the Abominations. It seemed that they came in wave after wave in various forms, each worse than the last. There were moments in the group when they thought all was lost only to have that one last push to become the victor. Wynne took a moment to rest as they reached the third floor of the tower and the others took a moment to drink a bit of water from their water skins. Evelyn leaned against the cold stone wall finding it to be welcoming after being nearly charred to a crisp.
"Whoever made this a tower needs to be drawn and quartered." Evelyn muttered and heard a chuckle from Wynne. The sound of her chuckle made Evelyn smile and feel hopeful. To be honest Wynne reminded her of her mother minus the age gap.
"Here I am thinking you're much younger than me and yet you too have complaints about the stairs." Wynne laughed and shook her head.
Alistair sighed, "And you're not the ones wearing heavy armor."
"You could always strip." Leliana grinned as she looked at Alistair as if undressing him with her eyes.
Alistair turned red, "That's not funny."
Evelyn laughed and smiled, "I do believe he said he'd dawn a dress and dance for me at one point."
"I…uh…Did I say that? I meant in private." Alistair stammered and tried not to look so flustered. He saw Evelyn's smile grow and blushed even more, "You women will be the death of me."
"Death of you?" Evelyn tilted her head, "I would think you'd be honored to have us chasing you."
"Perhaps he does not wish to be chased by women?" Leliana mused as she put a finger to her chin.
Wynne laughed and put a hand on Alistair's shoulder, "I think we have teased Alistair enough. Come there is much to do still."
She was right. There was still much to do. They made it through to the other side of the third floor and came across a Desire Demon who had enchanted a Templar. The sight made Evelyn sick to her stomach that this man was enraptured by such a creature. Hearing the demon speak made her skin crawl though Alistair seemed almost enchanted himself. Evelyn couldn't bare to have him fall into the spell and stepped forward, "Let him go."
"Did you hear something, my dear?" The Templar asked almost confused.
The demon glanced at Evelyn then spoke, "It's just the door. I will answer it. Put the children to bed." She sauntered closer to Evelyn and smirked, "Why have you disrupted this intimate moment?"
"Intimate? You call pulling the strings on this man intimate?" Evelyn glared as she clenched her fists, "He has no free will of his own."
"Free will? He had none when before he met me…I have given him what he desires. Would you deny him that?" Her voice was becoming melodic and trying to trap her will as well. For a moment she caught a flicker of what she desired then it was gone.
Evelyn turned her head away before Wynne spoke up, "You have put this man into a lie."
Leliana glared, "He should be free to choose his fate not locked away so you can feed on him."
Alistair said nothing as he stood there. His eyes were on Evelyn as she seemed to be fighting something within. The demon sensed it and grinned at Alistair catching his eye before he too looked away.
"I only ask to keep this one. Will you let me have that?" She asked Evelyn who looked at her now with pure hatred for toying with her mind.
"No." Evelyn said coldly as she drew her blades, "You will not keep him."
"Keep who?" The demon's grin grew, "This man or someone else?"
"Stay out of my head." Evelyn growled before she advanced.
The demon took a step back, "If you kill me…he dies too."
"Better for him to die in peace than to be your meal." Evelyn spat back before she charged. Just when she thought her blades were within reach she was blasted back with such force. Her back slammed against the wall and her blades fell from her hands to the floor with a clang.
"Fools." The demon spat and turned to the Templar, "Help! Bandits are here! They're going to kill me and the children!"
"They will have to get past me!" The Templar shouted and drew his sword.
Alistair glared at the demon and wanted to move to Evelyn but knew it wouldn't be wise. Instead he used his Templar abilities against the demon to ward off her magic while Wynne and Leliana handled the Templar. Evelyn felt blood on the corner of her mouth as she came around. Her head was aching and the room seemed to be spinning. She forced herself to get up as she picked up her sword and dagger. The demon was losing the fight and summoned the skeletons that were scattered on the floor back to life.
"Maker's breath!" Shouted Leliana as she stabbed the Templar then turned to slash off the head of a skeleton. Wynne casted a powerful spell to help give the group just enough strength to push onward. Shale moved to pulverize the skeletons around it. Evelyn moved quickly to avoid being skewered then got back into the fight despite feeling her head throbbing from hitting the wall.
A horrifying cry from the Desire Demon ended the chaos as Alistair ran her through with his sword then pushed her off with the shield bearing the Cousland symbol. He looked at the body as it burst into flame and felt no pity for the demon. Wynne watched the Templar fall along with the remaining skeletons to the ground. All life that was within them had vanished.
"How many more must die?" Leliana whispered as she frowned and looked down at the Templar.
"Too many. "Evelyn whispered back and leaned against the wall before Wynne moved to her. She watched the elder mage's hands glow a pale blue before she felt a soothing coldness move through her body, healing the wounds. Slowly she nodded her head to Wynne, "Thank you."
"You are welcome, Warden…erm I mean Evelyn." Wynne smiled tiredly then moved to heal Alistair and Leliana.
Shale moved to Evelyn, "So it still lives. Good…I would hate to be stuck here when those Templars come through to cleanse the place."
Evelyn shook her head, "Thanks, Shale. Nice to know you care." Her eyes watched Wynne as she drank some blue liquid then made a face over the taste of it. It seemed to make her feel better though as she moved over to check on the Templar's body.
Alistair sighed, "To think…That could have been me."
"That could never be you, Alistair." Evelyn replied as she looked at him.
"Oh? And what makes you so sure?" Alistair looked at her as he crossed his arms.
Evelyn smiled a little, "Because despite what you think of yourself I see the strength you have. You should trust yourself more."
She moved to leave the room since Wynne had walked out. Leliana glanced at Alistair, "She's right you know."
Alistair glanced back to the Templar's body and sighed not sure if they were looking at him or their ideal of him. He shook his head and followed them to the stairs to the final floor of the tower. All of them were unaware of the danger that barred the way.