Chapter 53: Onward
"I was in one of the reading rooms when the attack began."
Solona walked beside Alim, the two mages conferring quietly as the pushed on higher into the tower.
Despite the danger and destruction around them, Alim smiled.
"You in one of the reading rooms," he said dryly, "I just can't picture that."
She playfully thumped his shoulder, his grin widened.
The mage girl laughed lightly. It was nice to see some things did not change.
Alim could still be an ass when he wanted to be,
I should have stayed where I was," she admitted, "But I could hear the screaming outside the door. I was…" she adjusted her specs nervously, "I wanted to see if I could help. If there was something I could do. That…that is when I was caught by Tanya and her friends."
Alim's expression soured, he had spared the girl's life. She had not tried to fight them, but was still partially responsible for all this madness.
She said she desired to seek penance, if she was lying to him she would answer most severely.
"So you were just trying to help," he repeated.
She nodded.
He gave her a knowing look.
"Don't lie to me kiddo," he said with a twitch of his ears, "I know you too well."
She looked chagrinned.
"I…I was looking for Cullen," she confessed.
Alim rolled his eyes.
"Lona," he sighed exasperatedly.
"I…I thought he might need me," she winced.
"Who is Cullen?" Leliana asked from her position behind them.
"A Templar," he informed the bard, "Lona here has a crush on him."
The girl blushed scarlet.
"It is not just a crush," she spat, "Cullen…he and I…we….we…"
The mage shook her head.
"Never mind," she growled, falling silent.
They made their way to the next level of the tower, the senior enchanters' quarters. They passed by several more of the libraries holdings.
The rooms had been utterly destroyed, tables and shelves destroyed, books torn to pieces or burned.
Solona whimpered at the sight. She had always fancied herself a learned scholar. Some of those books had been a hundred years old or more.
Now…those secrets were lost forever.
It was disheartening.
"So my dear mage," Zevran said approaching her, "Tell me, how do you know our fearless leader. Alim does not like to speak about his past."
The girl shrugged slightly.
"We're friends now," she admitted, "But that was not always the case, five years ago we were in competition with each other, seeing who would become the First Enchanter's apprentice." The girl smiled at those days, the two, though not openly hostile, had not been cordial either.
"Irving chose Alim," she continued, "After that, I…I tried to get to know the mage who had bested me. Surprisingly enough there is more to him than simple snarkyness."
The elf grinned at her.
"Thanks Lona…I think."
"You're welcome," she smiled.
They opened another door. Undead shambled towards them; they wore the tattered robes of tranquil, though the bodies were in an intense state of decay. They were directed by another abomination behind them.
Solona blasted the undead with fire, while Alistair and Seri dealt with the Abomination. Between the Templar abilities of the knight and the dwarf's resistance to magic, the battle ended quickly.
Theron gave the young mage an approving look.
"You fight well," the elf said.
The girl blushed.
"Thanks," she murmured, "But I'm more a scholar then a warrior. I know a few offensive spells but…"
Alim snorted.
"You're selling yourself short," he said, "I wonder what would have happened if Irving had chosen you as his apprentice? If he had put you through your harrowing when he did me?"
Solona shrugged.
"I wonder if Jowan would have turned to you for help."
The mage shrugged again. She had first met Alim through Jowan. The two boys had been fast friends since they were children, but she had shared several classes with Jowan. It was no surprise that the First Enchanter chose their mutual friend as a bridge between her and the elf. She was grateful that they welcomed her into their little circle of friends.
Jowan, she pursed her lips, she still could not believe what he had done.
Alim chuckled.
"Perhaps you would be a grey warden right now." He said, Perhaps Jowan would have come to you, and you would have been wandering all over Thedas these past few months."
The very thought made the girl laugh.
"Me," she chuckled, "A grey warden, Alim you say the funniest things."
The elf shrugged.
"You are strong and you can fight when you have to, that is the first step, perhaps when this is all over we can…"
"COME OUT OF THERE!"
Morrigan's angry snarl interrupted their conversation; the witch was standing before a closet in the back of the room.
Alim gave it a curious look, it might have been his imagination but it looked like the closet was shaking.
He stepped past the witch and stood before it.
"Anyone in there?" he called out.
N…No…" a muffled whimper emerged from behind the door.
The elf frowned.
He soooo did not need this.
"You can come out now," he said crossing his arms. He was trying to be cordial.
"But the demons," the voice whined.
Alim rolled his eyes.
"They're all dead, come out of there, it is safe."
The door shook as the man pushed it open, a mage in canary yellow robes stepped out.
Leliana came to the man's side.
"Are you well?" she asked.
He gave her a pitiful look.
"I have a crick in my back and my bums gone numb, but beyond that I am fine."
Alim's eyes narrowed, he recognized this lout.
"Hello Godwinn," he said frostily.
"You…you know me?" the mage asked.
"Not personally no," Alim shrugged, "But the First Enchanter knew about you quite well. You smuggle lyrium to the Templars in exchange for…favors."
The man stood a little straighter, "I don't know what you are talking about."
"Of course you do," Alim grinned, "So…any lyrium around here we could use, any items that might help us save the tower?"
The man looked like he was not going to respond, but Alim's icy glare made him relent.
"The loose stone behind my bed," he gestured, right there."
Zev went over and pushed back the bed, he pulled out the stone. Inside were several magical talismans and a satchel containing several small vials of lyrium.
Godwinn shook his head.
"Don't tell anyone alright," he said.
"Irving already knows you fool," the elf sniffed, "He tolerates such behavior for the good of the circle, but do not think for one moment that you put anything over on him."
"Some of the mages have gathered near the main entrance," Wynne told him, "the way back is clear, you could make it if you tried."
"Or you could come with us," Alim offered.
Godwinn declined.
The wardens left his room and the mage returned to his closet.
Morrigan shook her head.
"So that is the type of person that studies here?" she asked Alim.
"The worse kind, but yes," the elf replied. He pocketed one of the talismans that Godwinn had stored.
"But even people like Godwinn have their uses," the elf added.
Morrigan shook her head.
"As you say warden," she sniffed, "As you say.
IOI
The group managed to make it to Irving's office with little incident.
Despite the damage to the rest of the tower this room seemed more or less untouched, cluttered yes, but that was the way that Irving chose to keep it.
Alim wandered around the room. The first time he had set foot in here he had been nine years old.
Irving had offered to help him control his temper. Before that, thunder rumbled around the tower almost all the time. The Templars had been giving serious consideration to making him tranquil.
The First Enchanter had protected him that day. Alim would always be grateful to the man for that.
Leliana came up beside him, a worried look on her face.
Alim gave her his most reassuring smile.
"I'm okay," he whispered.
She smiled and gently brushed his hand with hers.
Warmth filled him at her lightest touch.
Oh Maker he thought…
I'm in so much trouble.
IOI
Wynne looked around in sadness. She…she had hoped, as they all had…
"He isn't here," the old woman sighed, "I prayed that he would have been."
"We will find him Wynne," Solona said gamely, "The First Enchanter is the strongest of us, if anyone could survive this…it is he."
Alim said nothing.
If Irving had not survived, this would go very bad for Wynne, Lona, Godwinn and everyone else here in the tower.
The Templars would show no mercy.
He turned to Wynne.
"What started this?" he asked her, "You know something don't you?"
The old mage sighed.
"It is a long story," she said, "Uldred and I were both at Ostagar, but I chose to stay behind and care for the wounded. Uldred on the other hand, returned here before the battle was even decided. When I returned, I discovered that Uldred had all but convinced the circle to join Loghain, the man who had betrayed us all."
Alim growled low in the back of his throat.
He had figured that Loghain was somehow tied up in this mess.
"Well, I told the First Enchanter what had happened in Ostagar," Wynne continued, "I revealed Loghain for the murdering bastard that he was. Irving had promised to confront Uldred over this. He called a meeting of the enchanters. I was attending to the children at the time and was not among them. Not long after we heard shouting from the meeting room. Then…then we saw the first abomination emerge, as it ran down one of the mages."
Wynne's eyes turned cold and lethal.
"I will not see the circle lost for one man's pride and stupidity. Uldred is behind this, and he will answer for it."
Alim nodded, he could not agree more.
The group searched the office for anything they could use to aid them. Wynne was not happy when Zevran broke into one of Irving's private cases. She gave him what could only be described as a motherly scowl.
The assassin merely shrugged.
"To keep us safe my dear," the assassin reminded her.
The old mage rolled her eyes.
Yet, she did not stop them.
The wardens and their allies had a point.
They would likely need any edge they could find.
IOI
Morrigan paused, her amber eyes burning into one of the First Enchanter's old chests.
The witch smiled.
She had found Mother's grimoire.
She probed the chest, seeking any magical defenses. The spells she detected were easily disabled, the wards weak considering the ones her mother had taught her.
She approached the chest, her fingers preparing to rip open the old box.
A hand wrapped around hers.
She snarled; how dare he seek to block her, she looked into Alim's brown eyes.
He gave her a slightly amused look.
"You need to be more careful," he warned.
He nudged the chest with the tip of his staff.
A wall of flame surrounded it.
Morrigan gasped.
Had…had she touched that chest, she likely would have had her hands burned off!
The warden mage gave her a knowing look.
"You disabled the spells around the chest," he said sagely, "But you forgot to check if the chest itself was ensorcelled."
The witch cursed herself, it was a simple trick, she should have seen it, and yet in her avarice she had missed it, and nearly paid a heavy price as a result.
"How did you know?" she asked him.
"Irving was like a father to me," the elf replied, "He taught me many things, including the defensive spells he fancies... I'm sure you know your Mother's spells equally well."
In truth, she did not know her mother's spells as well as she should.
The book would hopefully change that.
The witch gave him an embarrassed look, she had been so eager to claim her prize.
Now it seemed that she owed Alim her life.
"You have my thanks," she whispered.
He flipped open the chest lid with the top of his staff. Morrigan dug inside of it.
There buried beneath some old Tevinter shroud lay her mother's spell book.
Morrigan hissed in triumph.
She had done it!
The secrets within this book were priceless to her, it might even contain a record of the spell needed to complete the plan that Flemeth had set her on.
If it was, who was to say that Mother was a relevant part of those plans now?
Perhaps Morrigan could carry out the work herself.
She gave Alim an excited look.
"This should be most interesting," she purred.
"I hope it works out for you," Alim replied.
Morrigan rose, stuffing the book into her pack. Her Mother's spells should be enough to keep it safe until they were done with this fool tower.
When she had time, she would begin unlocking its power.
It would be good to know more than mother had ever wished her to know.
Perhaps the time was coming to reevaluate her relationship with her Mother.
Perhaps it was time to go it alone.
Only time, and the book, would tell.
IOI
The next floor yielded a new threat.
Templars their minds fallen under the command of the demons assaulted the wardens and their allies.
The demons' hold on these Templars was very strong. He had no love for the Templars, but at the same time he had no desire to kill people who did not realize what they were doing, or why.
The job of slaying these poor souls fell to Alistair and the other warriors and rogues. They disabled what men they could, but alas many of the possessed Templars died.
Alim understood that he should not feel bad about this; surely these men would have struck him down without a thought if the situation was reversed.
He was trying to be a better person, not for the Templars but for his own sake…
…And, if he impressed Leliana along the way, so much the better.
Things were getting steadily worse as the climbed higher. A strange corrupted film covered the walls in some places.
Truthfully, it reminded Alim of the darkspawn taint that they had seen in the deep roads.
Was this proof that the darkspawn had begun in the fade? Were the stories about the tainted magisters true?
He could not say for certain.
The sound of voices up ahead drew his attention, he hoped to find more survivors, but that seemed unlikely.
There was still no sign of Irving or Niall.
He feared what that meant for the circle.
What would happen if the Templars' reinforcements arrived? Would Greagoir give him the time to finish this mission, or would the Templars decide to strike?
The warden mage realized that he could not take such a chance.
They pushed on, higher up into the tower…
…And into the heart of darkness,