Three days had passed since arriving in Redcliffe and the early rays of dawn found Ilaria pacing back and forth in her room. The handsome Bann Teagan had agreed to allow her to visit Jowan in the dungeon but she had been unable to bring herself to do so. She was running out of time. They were leaving Redcliffe the next morning. She desperately wanted to see her friend but was torn by the feelings of betrayal left behind after his escape and her aversion to speak of Neria's death. She knew she would have to tell him. Deylan had barely spoken to him after finding him alive in the dungeon over a week prior and not at all since returning from the Circle.

She stood at the open window, the cold morning air steeling her, and watched the sun begin its climb into the sky. As the last of the bright orb left the horizon, she took a deep breath, pushed away the dark thoughts of lost friends and headed into the bowels of Redcliffe castle.

Only one torch had been left burning in the long hallway full of cells; it cast long, eerie shadows on the walls. The air was full of the smell of damp earth, smoke and the metallic smell of old blood. Though the corpses had been cleared from the castle and sent to the pyre the weight of death still hung heavy in the air. Ilaria's eyes blurred with unshed tears at the thought of someone she cared for wasting away in such a place. Squaring her shoulders, she began her slow pace down the stone floor. She counted the cell doors as she passed: one, two, three, four. At the fifth door, a single guard stood at attention. He barely spared her a glance before turning and unlocking the door behind him. Leaving the door open, he took several steps down the hallway providing her with a modicum of privacy.

She stepped into the cell and paused, allowing her eyes to adjust to the increased dimness within. The first thing she could make out were the faintly glowing runes carve into the floor, walls, and ceiling a few feet into the cell. Any mage passing through those runes would have their mana stripped and find any magic rendered useless. The runes repeated on the floor to the back of the cell where they stretched up both walls forming a cube in which magic could not be used. The Circle mages had placed the charged runes before returning to the Circle. The charge would last for a month or more at which time a mage would be sent to recharge them.

When Ilaria finally focused on Jowan, she clenched her jaw to hold back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. He was curled up on a narrow cot under a thin, tattered blanket. A pair of heavy, metal bracers craved with more runes bound his wrists. She couldn't have described what it was but something about him just looked broken. She silently observed him for a minute before speaking.

"Jowan," she said softly, not wanting to startle him.

His head lifted slowly and it took a moment for his eyes to show recognition.

"Ilaria!" he exclaimed as he rose. "What are you doing here? Is Deylan with you? What about Neria and Anders?" He crossed the room, pausing at the edge of the blue light of the runes.

"No, it's just me. Deylan is upstairs somewhere preparing for our departure. Anders is still at the Circle and Neria..." She paused, forcing herself to regain control of her tempestuous emotions before continuing. "Jowan, did you hear what happened at the Circle?"

"I... nothing directly. I overheard some of the guards speaking about abominations in the tower but that can't..."

"It's true," she interrupted. "Uldred came back from Ostagar talking about mages ruling themselves. There was something about having support from Ferelden's leadership. He fought with some of the other senior enchanters. He summoned a demon that took control of him and the Circle was lost. There were blood mages..." She paused again in an attempt to regain control not wanting to sound accusatory. "There were blood mages in the Circle. They were attempting to subdue the templars but the Uldred demon began turning anyone he could capture into an abomination. Neria..." At this point Ilaria could no longer completely control herself. As Neria's death replayed in her mind she choked back a sob. "She's gone, Jowan."

She turned and faced the door. Jowan stood perfectly still for a moment, staring at her tense shoulders before collapsing to the floor. Ilaria turned to find him sitting just within the edges of the rune prison, tears streaming down his face. He wasn't making any sounds but the tears kept coming. After a while, Ilaria sat down across from him and waited for him to speak. Several minutes passed before he did.

"Did she... she didn't suffer, did she?" he asked.

"I don't think so. It happened so fast. Even with Anders right there, there was nothing... nothing we could do."

She wanted to reach over and console her friend. Jowan and Neria had grown up together and had been close long before she met either of them. Soon her grief swayed to anger.

"Why did you do it, Jowan?" she demanded, rounding on him quickly. "Why would you use blood magic? Do you have any idea what that did to her, losing you like that? And it forced Deylan to leave the Circle as well. Why?"

She examined his face carefully. She could read the guilt buried under the layers of grief. She sighed heavily, rubbing her forehead. She knew Jowan was kind and compassionate. It made his turning to blood magic all the more frustrating.

"I'm sorry, Arie. I can't tell you how sorry I am. I know it was wrong. I knew blood magic was wrong the moment I looked at it. I just... I felt so inferior to you and Deylan. Even Anders! I just wanted to be a better mage and I thought blood magic would make me one."

"Jowan, I've seen blood magic at work. It's not a sign of a powerful mage. It's the sign of a weak one."

"I know. I stopped studying it as soon as I met Lily. And I was really happy for awhile. Then we found out about the Rite of Tranquility..."

"Deylan told me. I wish you'd come to me, Jowan. I could have helped you."

"I know you would have. But, really, what could you have done? If you'd helped me escape, Greagoir would have sent you back to Tevinter in chains and you may have lost your travel papers."

There was a heavy pause before she responded softly. "I would have done it anyway."

He smiled gently. "I know. Arie, do you know what they are going to do to me?"

"No. Deylan said that Bann Teagan has stepped in until the Arl recovers. The Arl will decided your fate when he wakes... if he wakes." Her voice trailed off. More accusations now wouldn't resolve anything; just create greater feelings of despair.

"Jowan, I'm leaving with Deylan and the other Warden tomorrow. We're going to try to find a way to cure the Arl. When we get back, I'll do what I can to get you out of here. I'm going to talk to Bann Teagan today about making sure you're comfortable and then..."

"Don't worry about me, Arie," he interrupted. "I put myself in this position." He smiled a little indulgently. "Stop trying to take responsibility for me."

While he spoke her eyes had dropped to the floor. She could feel the weight of reality crushing down on her as if the stones of the castle above were falling over her. When she spoke, her voice was so soft Jowan could barely hear her.

"I don't want to lose you again." Torchlight sparkled in her tears as they trickled down her cheeks.

"Arie, look at me."

She looked up slowly, not wanting to face the reality of her friend in this dark hole again. Jowan's expression was tender and, for the first time, she could see a true understanding of the world in his eyes.

"It was my choices that placed me here. You can't save me from myself. You have to let me go."

Ilaria brushed the tears from her cheeks. She reached her hand out, allowing it to hover at the invisible edge of the runes power. Jowan lined his hand up to hers. She smiled weakly.

"I love you, little brother."

"I love you too."

She turned to leave and was nearly at the door before she stopped and turned.

"If you get a chance, run." And with that, she was gone, leaving Jowan alone in the dark.