Dragon Age:
Origins
(Book 1 of 7)
Chapter Five.
Irving was silent and had his fingers interlocked, his face stern and lips set into a firm line. Neria honestly was sure how he would react to the knew about what Jowan and Lilly were planning, Irving had always been a kind man and he was never angry but you could always tell if you managed to disappoint him but now he was simply deep in thought, Neria could almost hear the gears in his head turning.
After a few more moments of silence he spoke, his voice sounded weary and his eyes suddenly seemed to be so much older. "I don't need to tell you that these are very serious accusations Neria, if they turn out to be true than Jowan will be lucky to be killed. If he isn't lucky then he could be made tranquil or even sent to Aeonar."
Neria gulped at the mention of Aeonar, not a lot was known about the Mage's prison but what little was known about it made it clear that death or tranquillity were the more the far more preferable options. The idea of Jowan, and even Lilly considering she would have to be punished for aiding Jowan, rotting in there forced to suffer Maker knows what, made her hurt but she couldn't risk everything for him.
"I am aware First Enchanter but I swear I am not lying to you. I would never lie about something like this." Neria said as she stood as tall as she could, which wasn't all that much to be honest, and looked straight into his eyes. "Jowan's my friend but he hasn't considered every factor, even if he does mange to escape he hasn't considered what will happen to us if he does? We won't even be able to breath wrong without a Templar accusing us of blood magic, I love Jowan but I am not going to sacrifice everything for him."
"That is an extremely wise decision, you've a bright future ahead of you." Irving said as he stood up from behind his desk. "Do you know the specifics of their plan?" He asked.
"They want me to get a rod of fire to burn through the locks of the respiratory door." Neria said as she pulled out the request form from a pocket in her robes and handed it over to him. "But the tranquil who takes care of the stores said I needed a senior enchanter's signature to get access to that."
Irving took the form and looked over it for a moment before he placed it back down on his desk for a moment before he stood. "And you are sure that a chantry initiate is involved in this?"
"Yes, her name's Lilly." Neria said as she bit her lip, if she felt bad about betraying Jowan then she felt even worse about betraying Lilly, she was a complete stranger but she had trusted her with this and she was stabbing her in the back. "She's not a bad person First Enchanter, she's only doing it because she loves Jowan."
"I am afraid that doesn't matter, it's still her choice but of course the chantry wouldn't see it that way." Irving said bitterly. "If we gave them evidence of her involvement they would say that was she tricked or that she was under Jowan's thrall, and it is only further proof that he is a blood mage, they would make her look like a victim rather then admit that one of their own could make a mistake."
Neria know that Irving was right, it was hard to admit but the chantry would make it seemed like an evil blood mage had enslaved an innocent initiate to help with his escape plan, there would be no one brave enough to tell the other side of the story. "Jowan isn't really a blood mage, is he?"
"I am sorry child, but there is more than enough evidence that suggests that he is using blood magic. Say what you will of Gregoir but he doesn't use the rite easily, and he wouldn't accuse Jowan of blood magic if he didn't have evidence and I have seen such." Iriving admitted with a sigh. "He must be made tranquil child, there is no other option."
He stood up from behind his desk and walked around it and placed his hands on Neria's shoulders. "However, there is an opportunity here. They may take one of us but we shall make sure that one of theirs does not go unpunished either."
"I don't understand." Neria said.
"I want you to go back to the store and get the rod of fire." Irving said as he went back to his desk and deftly signed his name to the paper and rolled it up before handing it back to her. "Tell them that you will help them, I will alert Gregoir and we will be able to catch you, specifically Lilly, in the act. There are certain wards in the vault that when breached will tell us that someone other than us has entered but I will be able to inform Gregoir first."
"Wait, you want me to do this just so you can make sure that the Templars know that Lilly is involved of her own free will." Neria said slowly, trying to understand what he was saying.
"You must understand how life works in the circle, what it takes to survive." Irving said with a sigh. "The chantry will never punish one of their own, you know this. But even a minor victory such as this must be taken, if we can show that even one of the chantry's own can make such a choice then we have proof that they are not all the selfless guardians who lock us up for our own good, their will be questions asked. Questions that the divine can not ignore."
Neria closed her eyes and sighed, she would be throwing two people on to the fire to not only protect herself but also to try and make things better for all mages. It was a steep price but one that she knew that she could pay, that she would pay. "I understand First Enchanter."
"I know that you would, when you first came to us all those years ago I saw your potential. How far you would come." Irving said with a reassuring smile. "When all this is over, I would like to offer you a postion as my apprentice. One day, you may be sitting where I am."
Neria smiled and nodded, she turned and began to make her way to the door.
"Before you go Neria, there is one more thing." Irving called and Neria turned back to face him. "The door to the phylactery chamber itself is warded to cancel out other magic, the rod of fire won't be able to affect it's locks. But there is another way into the phylactery chamber, a back way through one of the vaults. It was sealed up but there is an artefact in there that can amplify the magic of any artefact so if use the rod with it then you should be able to blast through."
"But don't be quick to suggest that there might be another way in, I don't want either Jowan or Lilly catching on, subtly is key. Remember that."
"Thank you First Enchanter, I appreciate the advice." Neria bowed and her and left the room, shutting the door behind her as she left.
Irving sighed and buried his face into his hands, he didn't need this. If he had known that Jowan would be so obvious that he would get caught then he would never had given the boy access to the blood magic tomes. He had offered the boy power and he had wasted it.
Blood Magic wasn't inherently evil, it was only a tool that could be used for other things than dominating others minds and raising the dead, it could be used to heal people from injuries that even normally healing magic could not deal with but according to the chantry Blood Magic was pure evil. It was of course only a coincidence that Blood Magic was also the only magic that a Templar's abilities had no effect on.
Irving didn't know if it was true or not that Blood Magic originally came from demons but to be utterly honest he did not care, mages were constantly locked into a war with the Templars and the chantry and they needed every tool to win even the slightest victories, to stop such great knowledge from being forever lost.
But mages like Jowan, with the ignorance and fear, risked exposing them, mages like Uldred with his dangerous ideas and want of power risked killing them all, mages like Anders who tried to escape risked bringing harsher and harsher restrictions on to them. They were all fools, the lot of them.
This was a battle that was not fought in grand gestures, it was fought in passive resistance and learning how to bend the rules and he had mastered the game well. How else would he have made his way all the way to First Enchanter as a blood mage? He had hoped that Jowan would be able to make it, he had seen potential in him but he had squandered it by not covering his tracks.
Irving stood up from his chair and walked over to a heavy chest, carved from dark wood with similar wards to the ones outside the phylactery chamber, he took a small key from around his neck and unlocked the chest and looked at the large pile of books within. All of them were tomes of blood magic, if they were ever found then he would be killed, at best.
He wouldn't have to hide them in here if it weren't for Jowan, the books had been held in an innocuous shelf in the library, they were utterly normal looking and none of the Templars had a reason to think that there was anything wrong with them and they didn't just pull random books of shelves and start reading them.
There was always a senior enchanter loyal to him standing near by the shelf, if a young mage went near the shelf and looked like they would take a book they would be brought to him and he would subtly inform them of the contents of the books, he needed to know that they were smart enough to understand what they were and smart enough to be safe with the secret.
If they weren't smart enough then he sent them on their way with a strict warning not to touch the books, telling them that they contained advance spells for senior enchanters but if they did understand and they were willing then he told them the truth he and others loyal to him would tutor them in the art.
It seemed, however, that his instincts were starting to fail him as Jowan was able to understand what he meant when he had been brought to him but he wasn't smart enough to clean up after himself, to cover his tracks and be subtle and now that they knew there was at least one blood mage in the circle the Templars began to search for more of them and he knew that he couldn't leave the books where they were.
It was part of the reason that he had decided to send Uldred away, the man had nearly been caught four times but whether or not due to luck or fate he had managed to slip away but he was not one of the more subtle mages and nearly being caught once was one time to many for him but he couldn't tell him to stop practicing. Uldred was the type to not go down on his own, if he got caught then he would implicate the rest of them.
Hopefully when Jowan was dealt with then the Templars would be satisfied with it being an isolated incident and Ulderd would hopefully die at Ostagar and he wouldn't have any more problems left to deal with.
And he was already looking to the future, Neria was intelligent and subtle and he knew that she could lie to the Templars and while there was of course a large difference between lying about childish pranks and lying about something like but she had potential, she truly could be sitting where he did one day.
He just hoped that she wouldn't let him down, he would hate to have to deal with another complication.
Neria sighed as she looked down at the small grey staff in her hands, calling it a staff was actually being quite generous it was more like an ashy grey stick, this was the rod of fire. She said goodbye to Owain and began to make her way back to the chapel, Jowan and Lilly would probably be wondering what had been taking her so long.
She left the stock rooms and slowly began to make her way back, she tried to draw as little attention as possible, she smiled at a random Templar who was on duty who nodded to her, it was important that she acted naturally or they would think that something was wrong. She eventually made her way back into the chapel and walked over to the dark alcove where Jowan and Lilly were waiting.
"You're back! And you have the rod!" Jowan said with a smile, he walked forward and pulled Neria into a hug which she returned through now the guilt was threatening to devour her. "I knew you wouldn't let me down!"
"You know me." She said softly as she closed her eyes and sighed softly, she had to do this.
"Excellent work, we should hurry and get down to the vaults before anyone notices us." Lilly said and Neria nodded in agreement as she pulled away from Jowan, the small group made their way out of the chapel and walked through the storerooms to reach the staircase that took them down to the main library, the quickly walked through it and got to the main hall beyond.
In the hall was a small staircase that went down and lead to the vaults, as they began to descend Neria couldn't help but feel nervous, she knew that she had to do this and it was part of the plan but she was still betraying her best friend and she would never feel completely okay with something like that.
The air grew cooler and the light dimmed as they descended further and further down, water dripped from the celling and Neria wondered if they had actually gone under the lake outside of the tower. Eventually they reached the bottom of the stairs and it was nearly pitch black, Neria held out her hand and focused and a soft light appeared above her palm.
Jowan held out his hand and a similar light appeared in his hand as well, the group slowly began to make there way through the damp passage way.
After a few minutes of walking the group eventually came across one of the largest doors that Neria had ever seen, it was at least twice her size and was made of dark wood, the wood was worn and she got the sense that it had been here for a long time, perhaps for ages.
"This is the Victims Door." Lilly spoke softly, almost reverently. "It is made from over two hundred and seventy-seven planks. One for each original Templar. It can only be opened by a mage and a Templar working together, first the Templar or chantry member says the password." She rested her hand gently on the wooden door and spoke loudly. "Sword of the maker, Tears of the fade!"
There was a loud noise, almost like the sound of something heavy being moved against the floor. Lilly let out a breath, almost as if she hadn't been sure that it would work before she turned to face Neria. "The password only primes the door but only the touch of mana will open it, any spell should work but hurry."
Neria sighed and shook her hand to dispel the glow and focused on the door, she held out her hands and a bolt of lightening shot out of them, striking the door. The attack did not seem to damage the door but there was another noise similar to the one they had heard before and then, with a loud creak that filled the air and made her bones ache, the door slowly swung open.
"You did it! It worked!" Jowan shouted, his voice echoing around them. The group went through the now open door into the hallway beyond, they had no need to make their own lights as there were lit torches on both walls and they quickly made through the passage until they reached the end, the passage was shaped like a L and there was a door at the bottom and one at the other end.
"This is it, quick use the rod!" Lilly said and Neria held up the rod, she tapped it against the door and nothing happened, she wasn't surprised but she remembered to at least look surprised so that Lilly and Jowan wouldn't catch on.
"Why isn't it working?" Lilly said in disbelief.
"Try it again!" Jowan said, his voice sounding hectic, nearly hysteric. Neria did as he asked and pressed the rod to the door again and again nothing happened. "Something's wrong, I can't cast spells, it's like my magic is being...blocked." He said with a heavy frown as he looked down at his hands as though they had betrayed him.
"There are wards carved here in the stone." Lilly said slowly as she looked at the wards that were carved into the stone next to the door, her fingers gently brushing over them for a moment. "This explains why Irving and Gregior only used simply keys, magical ones wouldn't work. It's over, we're finished." She said forlornly, her eyes downcast.
"Hey! no, we aren't giving up! Where does that door lead?" Neria asked as she nodded towards the other door, she hoped that it didn't seem too obvious.
"Deeper in the repository, do you think that there might be another way into the phylactery chamber?" Lilly asked as she glanced between the door and Neria.
"I think that we should at least try and look for one." Neria said.
"She's right. I am not going to just lay down and die, the rod should work on those locks at least." Jowan said as he began to step towards the door, Neria and Lilly followed him and Neria readied herself to use the rod. She tapped it against the wood and she nearly jumped when a stream of fire shot from the tip and burned through the lock of the door and it swung open.
As the door swung open her stomach dropped, there was someone on the other side of the door. They were wearing a full suit of armour and a helm and they had a great sword strapped to their back, they took a few steps towards them and quickly unsheathed their sword and held it one hand, like someone would hold a dagger.
"Oh, that's not good." Jowan muttered and Neria threw the rod of fire aside and quickly took her staff of off her back and pointed at the walking suit of armour, there was no doubt in her mind that there was no one inside that armour. This was another of the vault's defences. A blast of magic shot out of her staff and the armour reeled back, the sword falling from it's hand.
The armour then suddenly resumed walking towards them, even faster this time and before Neria could shoot off another spell the armour was in front of her and ripped the staff from her grasp and threw it to the side before wrapping it's hands around her throat. Neria gagged and beat her hands against the creature breast plate but it wouldn't budge, she tried to think a spell but the lack of air and panic froze her thoughts.
"Let go of her!" Lilly shouted and suddenly she was next to them, a dagger in her hands and before Neria could wonder where she had got that from, Lilly drove the dagger into one of the helm's eye holes. The walking armour might not have had any eyes but it had the desired effect as the armour let go of Neria's throat and turned it's attention to Lilly who took a step back as it approached her.
Before it had a chance to lay a finger on her however Jowan was there and stood in between them, he placed his hands on the armour's chest and suddenly the armour began to twitch rapidly and then blew apart, pieces of armour smoking armour flying everywhere. Jowan let out a sigh of relief and turned his head to look at Lilly. "It's a good thing I was always good at lightening spells."
Lilly smiled and pulled him into a hug but it was a short lived one as they both heard loud coughing, Neria was crouched and held her hand to her chest and was trying desperately to catch her breath. "Neria!" Jowan shouted and knelt down next to her, gently rubbing her back to try and help the flow of air and calm her down. "It's going to be okay, it's dead."
After a few more moments Neria managed to catch her breath and nodded before standing up. "I'm alright, we should get moving." She turned to look at Lilly and smiled. "Thank you, you saved me."
"Anytime." Lilly said with a smile before she knelt down in front of the scattered remains of the suit of armour, she picked up the helmet and pulled the dagger out of it's eye socket with a grunt. "I suppose that this is one of the defences the vault is meant to have."
"Looks like it." Neria said. "Where did you get that dagger from by the way?"
"I got it from the armoury, I memorised the Templar who guarded it's schedule and I snuck this out between guard changes." Lilly put the dagger away. "I thought that we might need it."
"Well, I can say you were probably right." Neria muttered. "There probably going to be a lot more of them, so try and stay behind me and Jowan and only use it if you have too. Let's get going." And with that the group began to make their way through the vaults.
Almost as soon as they began their journey through they were blocked by more suits of armour but Neria was ready for them, she waved her hands and the armour collapsed into pieces. She had theorised that because it was magic that made them move that a simple mana draining spell would shut them down and the group carried on.
It was a shame they were in a hurry because simply glancing through the rooms interested her, there were so many books and artifacts but she knew that they didn't have the time and they were probably dangerous so she kept her hands to herself.
After roughly another ten minutes of walking they had found themselves in a large, well lit room. It felt to Neria as through they had walked all around the repistory so this was probably the vault that backed up against the phylactery chamber. She just need to find that Tevinter artefact that enhanced magic and they were golden. "I think this room might back up against the phylactery chamber, may we could knock a wall down or something."
"I think you might be right, let's see if we can find anything." Jowan said and the three of them began to explore the room.
After a few moments of searching Neria came across a statue, it was of a bald woman dressed in armour and holding a spear. She couldn't think of any reason why this would be down here and then it spoke. "Greetings child."
"Holy Maker!" Neria shouted and she jumped backwards, Jowan and Lilly came rushing over and Neria pointed her finger shakily at the statue. "It spoke! It's alive, it said something!"
"Alive I am or I was, soul bound to stone until the world turns to darkness." The statue said and Lilly's face turned white and Jowan's eyes widen. "I am Eleni Zinovia, consort to Archon Valerius, prophecy my crime, for telling of the fall of my lord and his house. Turned to stone and forced to tell my lies to all who looked upon my lord's great keep." The voice sounded bitter, angry.
"But my lord's enemies came and slaughtered him and reduced his keep to stone." Now the voice sounded weary, if not sad. "Now, I am all that remains of those days."
"A Tevinter Statue!" Lilly shouted, stepping back and tightening her grip on her dagger. "Whatever it says, don't listen to it! This is a wicked thing!"
Neria didn't listen, keeping her eyes on the statue, going by the thick layer of dust on her then she had been her for years, maybe even decades. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. "Is there anything we can do for you?" She asked gently.
"Weep not for me child, stone they made me and stone I am, eternal and unfeeling. And I shall endure until the Maker returns to light their fires again." The statue said with a note of finality.
"Please, stop talking to it!" Lilly pleaded, sounding desperate.
"I think Lilly's right Neria, we don't really have the time for this." Jowan said but it was clear by his tone that he was bit reluctant, clearly he was intrigued by the statue as well.
"All right, goodbye." She said to the statue and turned to walk away but she didn't even manage to take a step before she heard the statue speak again.
"Goodbye child, I wish you well and I am sorry for your lose." And with that, the statue was silent once more through Neria couldn't help but frown. Could the statue see into her past?
Or did she mean a lose that was yet to come?
She shivered and pushed that though out of her mind, she wanted to get out of here now.
After another few minutes of searching they finally found something, it was another statue but this one didn't speak. At first glance it looked a lot like dog but there was something...wrong, with it's snout. It looked almost like a large lizard's mouth, they placed it on the floor and then began to search for a way into the phylactery chamber, they eventually found a blocked of passage behind a bookshelf.
Once the bookshelf was moved Jowan nodded to Neria who nodded back and pressed the tip of the rod of to the top of the statue's head, it's stone eyes glowed red a ball of fire shot out of it's mouth and flew towards the wall, Neria, Jowan and Lilly took cover as the ball of fire connected and the stone was blown to pieces. "It worked!" Jowan shouted as the smoke cleared and he looked up, the stone was almost completely gone and beyond lied the phylactery chamber.
Jowan got to his feet and ran through the opening, Lilly following after him. Neria took in a deep breath and followed them. The couple was standing in front of a table, Jowan had a vial clasped in his hands and he threw it down to the floor and it shattered as it collided with the stone, red blood staining it. "And just like that. it's over. I'm free." He breathed.
Neria took one look at his hopeful face and broke. "Jowan, I'm so sorry." She said so quietly that for a moment that she though that Jowan hadn't heard her, she almost hoped that he hadn't.
"Sorry for what, it all worked out. My phylactery's broken and we can get out of here, and it's all thanks to you-
"It was Irving who signed the request form for the rod of fire, I told him what you were doing. It's a trap." She said and the look of horror on Jowan and Lilly's face made her want to stab herself, how could she do this. "I am so sorry Jowan, I just-"
"How could you do this to me! I'm your friend for the Maker's sake!" He shouted and Neria had to take a step back, she had never heard Jowan this angry. "Do you understand what you've done? They will kill me for this! What will they do to Lilly?" He breathed as tears of pain and anger rolled down his cheeks. "Neira...why?"
"I...I'm so-"
"Stop saying you're sorry!" Jowan shouted before he grabbed Lilly's wrist and began to pull her over to the chamber's main door, he threw it open and ran through it. "Just stay away from us!"
"Jowan wait!" Neria shouted and ran after them, they had a head start but she on their tail, as they reached the end of the corridor and rushed up the stairs after them, they ran through the door and made it into the hall and Neria followed them but she stopped when they did as she saw what was in front of them.
Gregoir and Irving, along with nearly twelve Templars including Cullen who looked equal parts heartbroken and disappointed at seeing her. "It seems you were correct Irving." Gregoir said as he stared at them all with cold eyes, they landed on Lilly and he sighed. "She seems shocked but fully in control of her own mind, I am disappointed Lilly, take her away. We will begin arrangements to have her sent to Aeonar."
Two Templars began to approach Lilly who shook her head rapidly. "The...The mage's prison. No, please Knight Commander! Not there, anything but that please!" She screamed desperately as her dagger fell from her numb fingers.
"No! I won't let you take her!" Jowan shouted before he scooped up Lilly's dagger and slashed his palm open, Neira felt all the air in the room turn cold as Jowan thrust out his arms and an invisible force picked up the two Templars and threw them across the room, a sicking snap sound filling the almost empty hall. The corpses got to the feet slowly and began to walk over to the former allies, still holding their swords.
"Lilly, let's go!" Jowan said as he pulled at Lilly's sleeve as the Templars were busy dealing with their former crowds and the sudden wind that seemed to blow from nowhere and was picking up speed but Lilly ripped her hand from his grasp. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"You're a blood mage! I asked you and you lied to me!" Lilly shouted as she stepped back, the wind was blowing like a storm now and the Templars were starting to panic, another Templar fell to one of the undead's blade and he rose up again, fighting alongside them against his former allies.. "It's evil! Look at what it is doing! How could you do this!?"
"I needed it Lilly, I needed it to make me powerful enough to protect you!" Jowan shouted back, a desperation in his eyes. He reached out for her and tried to take her hands but Lilly took another step back and Jowan looked as through his heart had been shredded in two. "Lilly, please-"
"Get away from me!" Lilly shouted and Jowan and turned on his feet and ran for it, as soon as he left the room the wind died down and the undead fell to the floor, becoming corpses once more.
Neria took deep breaths, she had been so shocked that she hadn't been able to move through anything that had just happened. When she noticed Irving lying on the floor she ran over to him and knelt down next to him. "First Enchanter! Are you alright!?" She asked as she helped him to his feet.
"I will be fine, Gregoir." Irving looked at Gregior who was looking down at his fallen men with an expression of fury on his face. "You need to get after him." He spoke softly but firmly.
Gergoir sighed and nodded, he looked at three Templars and started to bark orders. "Get after him! Do not let him escape." The Templars saluted and ran out the same way that Jowan had. "Not that it will be easy, given that his phylactery has been broken." He spat, his face darkening. "Where is the girl?" He barked.
"I...I am here." Lilly said as she stepped into plain view, her eyes red and puffy.
"You helped a blood mage! Look at all he has done, all he has hurt!" He shouted and Lilly shrunk like a mouse in front of a lion.
"Lilly only tried to help the man she loved, she didn't know that Jowan was a blood mage." Neria protested.
"I do not need you to help me." Lilly spat and Neria reeled back in shock, that look in her eyes could only be described as one of pure and utter hate. The look softened for a moment and she only looked tired, she turned her gaze to Gregoir. "Knight-Commander, I did help a blood mage and I am ready to accept any punishment that you feel is due."
Gregoir sighed and turned to Cullen. "Take the girl to the holding cells, I'll figure out what to do with her later."
"Yes, Knight-Commander." Cullen said before he walked over to Lilly and gently but firmly held her arm, he lead her out but not before he sent one last look of sadness towards Neria who sighed heavily.
"Don't think I've forgotten about you, barely a true mage for a day and you are already breaking our rules!" He shouted at Neria who held her ground. "Maker, what are we to do with you."
"How about nothing!?" Neria shouted. "I was only doing what I was told, I told the First Enchanter about this escape attempt."
"The girl is here on my orders. Gregoir. She has done nothing wrong." Irving said firmly, his strength already seeming to return to him.
"She was in the vaults, only you and I can be in there. She has broken rules and she must suffer punishment for that!" Gregoir shouted and Neria suddenly got the terrible feeling that somewhere along the way this had gone out of her control.
"If I might interrupt for a moment." They all turned to see Duncan walk in. "Whether or not Neria has done something wrong may be irrelevant, I would like to offer her a place among the Grey Wardens."
"What!? No!" Gregoir shouted. "I will not allow this!"
"My memory may be failing me in this regard but I am fairly certain that the Grey Wardens do not need to ask your permission." Irving said with something that quite strongly resembled a smirk. "What do you say child?"
Neria was silent for a moment as she considered everything, Gregoir wanted to punish her despite the fact she did nothing wrong, it probably wouldn't take long for everyone to find out that she betrayed Jowan and any allies she would have would disappear, she really only had one option.
"I accept." She said quietly, she looked at Duncan. "Can we go now?"
"I rather think we should, let us go. Irving. Gregoir." Duncan lead Neria out of the hall as soon as he began to hear Gregior start to curse, he lead her quickly through the corridors and into the main entrance hall. With a quick word to the Templar on guard the great double doors of the tower opened and the two stepped out.
As soon as Neria stepped outside she couldn't help but look back and she didn't know why she was crying, that was a lie yes she did. She may have never been able to leave this place but it was also the only home she had ever known, it hurt to be leaving. All her friends were here.
"It's time to go." Duncan said gently and with a sigh Neria nodded and turned to follow him down to the boat.
It was time to start a new life, assuming she survived the next few weeks.
End of Chapter Five
Please follow, favourite and review. This is the end of the Mage Origin, next time we are headed to Orzammar after a nice relaxing chapter.
