Chapter 37: Surging Seas
The location of the meeting is a lot further down the coast than we had gone the last time. We follow the winding trails down and around until I start to lose track of where we are. Thankfully, I spot a landmark indicated in Gemma's note that helps me find my place again.
I pause and check to see Cat's familiar shimmer. Good, she's still here. I sneak a smile in her direction.
We find the correct turn that takes us down a different path and closer to the sea, and finally out over isthmus to a larger piece of land. If the tide were much higher, the path would have been covered, and the land mass would have been an island. Fenris is in the lead, but I stop him, shaking my head. I mouth the word 'traps' to him, and use hand gestures to indicate the ground. He nods.
Fenris steps back and lets the experts go to work. With three of us familiar with traps, there is little chance that we will be surprised by any. I look up out of reflex, glancing at the treetops, and I spot something. A boot.
"Shit, guys, we have company," I call out, drawing my daggers as I move backwards. A pirate raider, clothed in the now familiar black and blue of Talon's company, drops out of a tree. We spread out a little, and more men drop out of the trees and come up the path from behind rock formations. There is a trap alright, just not the kind we had been looking for.
"That lying Coterie bitch," I spout out. "She set us up."
"Don't be mad, Little Wren," a male voice says, and I freeze. No, it can't be him . But my worst fears are confirmed when he steps into view. He looks a bit older than the last time I saw him, but I'd know his face anywhere. Nikolaus, my old teacher. That face has haunted my nightmares since I was a child. "When I heard my Norah was in Kirkwall, of course I had to come."
I look behind me, to see more men closing in behind us. Maker, no, he knows how to get to Cat . I look around for her, but I don't see her right away. I hope she's taken off already.
"He's the one?" asks Fenris from near me, and I understand his meaning. I nod. He grimaces, and adjusts his grip on the hilt of his claymore.
"I think you'll find I'm not a child anymore, and I'm sure as shit not your anything," I say, and I'm proud that my voice doesn't waver.
"My, my, a little songbird out of her cage and all grown up. Too bad you're still slow to learn. You'll change your tune by the time we're through with you." What's he planning? I wonder.
"Cookie, you know this man?" asks Varric from my other side.
"Not for much longer," I growl out, and leap forward into motion. I don't get far, as two of Talon's men jump forward to intercept my blades. There's a hissing sound of metal scraping metal, and I step backwards again. They don't follow, their intent obviously only to stop me.
"You forget, I know all your tricks, Little Wren," he states. "And you're not the only one who's made new allies along the way. Come back willingly, and I will let your friends go."
"Let her go with the creepy mage and brainwashed suicidal guards? Not likely," says Varric, catching on. I really should tell the others the rest.
"Careful," I warn them, "he's a blood mage."
"Orlesian chevaliers, Tevinter blood mages; I really am writing a book about you now," says Varric.
"Help me get out of this, and I'll give you an exclusive interview."
"There is one more thing you might want to consider," Nikolaus says, grinning ominously. No. "It's remarkable really. I've never met a mage with as strong an affinity as yours for spirits before. I'd love to figure out how you do it. It's a wonder your little friend didn't possess you long ago."
"Wait, what's he talking about, puss?" asks Isabela. I can't acknowledge that right now. I wonder what kind of expression Fenris is making, but I don't take my eyes off Nikolaus.
"Where is she, Nikolaus?" I ask, my voice cracking.
"Unharmed. So far," he comments.
"Let Cat go, and I'll do what you want," I say.
"That's not the deal, Wren," he says smugly. "Don't think I don't know you'll just run again at the earliest opportunity. Not that it will do you any good - Lady Colette took measures so that we can always find you. No, your friend goes with us, to make sure you behave; the others can stay."
"I need to see her first," I insist.
"Norah, you can't be serious," Isabela says. "This guy works for Talon. You saw what he does to those who work for him."
"How do you think that snake rose to where he is?" Nikolaus shouts, tone haughty. "I think it would be safer to say that Talon and I work together."
"He has my friend, Isabela," I tell her. "The only friend I had for a long time. I can't let her get hurt," I say, emotion rising in my voice.
"Enough talk, mage," snarls Fenris. "No one is interested in your deals." He gives me a reassuring glance. I wink at him, and his expression changes only a tiny bit, but I know he's received the message.
"Actually, Fenris...I have no choice," I concede, sighing a little dramatically, moving forward, blades still in my hands, but I put my arms down and relax my stance. It's like the Game, Norah. Control your reactions, breath, inhale. "Show me Cat, and I'll go with you."
We move as a group toward the center of the island. Cat is contained in a magical barrier, set with crystals at the edges. The barrier has a sickly purple sheen to it. Please don't let that be more blood magic. She looks up, and sees me. Her expression is confused, and guilty. She tries to speak, but I can't hear her. I see her mouth move and make out the words 'I'm sorry'.
"It's okay, Cat. You're not alone anymore," I tell her.
"Maker's Breath, Norah, is that what I think it is?" asks Varric.
I turn to look at him, and smile. "This is Cat, my dearest friend. My 'person to protect' that I told you about once." I give another wink when the guards aren't looking and see Varric's eyes widen.
"Your friends seem surprised. I see you're still good at keeping secrets, Little Wren," Nikolaus says. "If you're satisfied now, it's time for your first lesson. I need to you to prove that you can behave, if you want to keep your little spirit safe."
"Yes, Master?" I ask, taking on the role of obedient pupil again. I keep my eyes on Isabela, and see her grip on her daggers change in recognition as well. Good, keep playing along until it's time.
He smiles sweetly at me, and I want to vomit. "I've dearly missed hearing you say that, Little Wren, but we'll need to clean up this mess first if we're to go back to the way things were. If we kill your friends together, there will be no one left to follow us."
"Of course, Master."
I take up my stance, daggers at the ready, facing my friends.
Fenris is the first to make a move, and he launches himself at Nikolaus. As before, Talon's men stand before him and parry his attack, but it's just enough distraction to put my own plan into action.
I grab Nikolaus's staff from his hands, and savor the feeling of elemental magic rising up within me. I release the Winter's Grasp spell and am rewarded with seeing Nikolaus's frame seize up, frost covering his body. His face is frozen in a state of shock. I switch from the staff back to my daggers and, crossing them over one another, slice his head clean off his shoulders.
Talon's men move in, no longer held in check by Nikolaus. I switch back to the staff, and cast that glorious Haste spell on all of us. Varric's crossbow unleashes a hail of arrows, seeming to come from nearly every direction. Most of the dozen or so men in the area are hit, taken out by the deadly fire. Isabela disappears and appears again in various spots throughout the battlefield, backstabbing those still standing. Fenris and I pick off whoever is left after the initial onslaught.
Seeing the devastation of the people in our immediate vicinity, the rest of Talon's men leave again, filing out calmly as they had done in the slaver's cave. I have a thought of going after them, at least to follow, but seeing Cat stuck in that barrier-not to mention my shaking hands-makes me change my mind. Isabela and Varric look at me with confusion.
I glance at Nikolaus's thawing body. "Guess I had one trick you didn't know," I say between labored breaths, and collapse against a nearby tree stump, resting for a moment.
"Fuck, Norah, what was that about?" Isabela asked. "None of what just happened made any sense."
Guess it's time for the truth. " I'm an apostate, and that man was my first teacher. The Orlesian men at my house were sent by my aunt, who wants me back under her thumb. I have no doubt she sent Nikolaus, too. I never thought I'd see him again," I say sadly. "He wasn't a good man, as you may have guessed."
"Is there any shit in this down that doesn't have something to do with mages or templars?" Varric asks. "When we get back, I'm getting the whole story out of you this time."
"Are you sure you know what you're doing, puss?" questions Isabela, a delicate wrinkle creasing her brow as she looks at the barrier holding Cat.
I nod. "Cat's been with me practically my whole life. I trust her."
Fenris hasn't spoken yet, but he looks at me, and he doesn't look away this time. "Is your friend alright?" he asks. No anger, no disgust.
Cat appears to be fine, but the barrier remains intact. It seems to be sustained by the crystals. There are seven of them in total, surrounding her.
"This barrier was made with blood magic," I announce, sighing. "I don't know if I have the power to break it, but I have to try."
I try smashing the crystals. It seems to have little effect. I hit the barrier itself, but again nothing. I even try casting spells at the barrier to weaken it. Nothing works.
"Cat, I don't know how to get you out of there," I confess.
She mouths a word. I don't get it the first time, so she tries again. "Oh, lyrium! Right, of course. But Cat, I don't have any potions with me."
She makes hand gestures and mouths a few more words.
"Nikolaus had some? In a box... below the ledge. Cat, you're brilliant. Hold on."
I look up to find the others looking at us. I shrug. I should explain. "Cat is a spirit of curiosity. She's been immensely helpful to me in surviving over the years," I say, relieved to finally get to tell my new companions about my earliest friend.
"A lot of things are starting to make sense," says Varric. "Blondie knows about her, doesn't he?"
I nod. "Now you all do. My story isn't pretty, but there it is."
"We all have a history, puss," says Isabela softly. "Rivain wasn't exactly an easy place to grow up, either. If this guy did what I assume he did from that 'master' comment, then I'm just glad you cut the pig up before he could hurt anybody else. And if we struck a blow against Talon, so much the better."
"I'm not sure how he knows Talon, but he did like hurting people. Living through that was bad enough, but when he threatened Cat, I couldn't take it any more. I'll do anything to protect her."
"Do you have a way to get her out of there?" Isabela asks.
"She says Nikolaus kept some lyrium potions in his belongings," I explain. "If I can get to them, it might help me break the barrier. I'm not leaving her in there."
"Wait, are we talking treasure?" questions Isabela, suddenly interested.
"He was working for my wealthy Orlesian aunt, and now Talon. What do you think?" I reply, grinning.
We follow Cat's directions to a section up the beach. It's hidden from view on a lower ledge behind a boulder. I check it for traps, but find none. I guess he wasn't expecting us to be able to get out of his ambush.
Opening the chest, I see something that deflates my enthusiasm. Not one, but two phylacteries. One guess who they belong to.
"So that's what he meant by always being able to find you. They made phylacteries," comments Fenris.
I grab them and stand up. Throwing the vials one at a time as hard as I can at the boulder, I get a small sense of satisfaction in seeing them shatter.
"There are probably more where that came from, you realize," Fenris says.
"I know; I certainly bled enough for the two of them over the years. I thought once I'd killed him that this would be over, but it's not," I say.
The rest of the chest is filled with various weapons, armor pieces, jewelry, and two lyrium potions. The potions I take to help Cat. There is a nice set of daggers that I leave for Isabela - I still prefer my curved ones over anything else. I keep Nikolaus's staff, though. It's of better make than my basic apprentice staff. I allow the others to split the remaining loot. I don't really have an interest anymore.
Heading back to Cat, I drink one of the potions, and reach out with a hand to attempt to cast at the barrier again. It shatters, much to my relief.
"Norah, I'm so sorry. I never would have gone ahead if I thought he was here," she states, hugging me. I forget how small she is sometimes.
"I don't blame you, Cat. I asked you to help today; this is my fault too," I respond.
Cat pulls herself out of my arms as the others come back. "I'm Cat," she says, introducing herself to my friends. "I've been watching you all for some time. Thank you for looking out for Norah." She bows. The others just look on, unsure.
"I suppose you made better decisions about spirits than the other mages we know," Fenris says, begrudgingly.
We head back toward town. It feels good being able to let Cat finally meet my friends, but now I feel an overwhelming sense of dread. If there are more of those phylacteries, I'm going to bring Lady Colette's reinforcements right to my doorstep, home to Anders and Cat, and there's nothing I can do about it.