This took a bit longer than I anticipated because my muse was being a fickle butthead. I'm sure that most of you can identify. I'd like to thank everyone who has been sticking with this despite the incredibly long wait between chapter. I promise I'm trying my best to keep the block demons away! It would perhaps be easier if I would concentrate on one story at a time, but I can't bring myself to stop writing on the others. haha. Special Thanks to my readers that have set alerts, favorites and reviewed: EmbersOfAmber, Trevilliana Darkmoon and Kassandra Black!
Also heartfelt MUAHS go out to my lovely ladies from the writers chat: VioletTheirin, Erynnar, Ladyamesindy, EmbersOfAmber, and (jumping spiders) Mackillian. You guys are fabulous! How did I surround myself with such talented individuals?
Please insert your own witty "It belongs to Bioware" blurb here. I'm too sleepy for witty.
Taking Teagan down in the fight that ensued after Connor bolted out of the room was one of the harder decisions that she had made that week. It broke her heart to strike him, but better her than Sten...though she was sure that he wouldn't be appreciative of the pommel blow headache he was going to have when he came to. When the last of the ensorcelled guard was dealt with she whirled on the Arlessa who backed away from her advance, hands raised to shield herself.
Evelyn Cousland was enraged, even if Duncan had appeared as a shade before her she would have walked right through him to slap the harpy senseless. She drew back to strike the woman with everything that she could put behind it when her hand was caught by a steel gauntlet. She turned with a screech to see Sten's massive paw wrapped around her wrist and his strange violet eyes peering down at her. She tried to jerk from his grasp but it was useless. She huffed as the giant's eyebrow raised in silent question.
"Fine." She snapped as she waited for him to loosen his grip. When he didn't she swore. "Andraste's ass, Sten...I said I wouldn't. You have my word."
The only sound of reply was the clink of his armor as he released her wrist and stepped away.
Her attention immediately focused back on the Orlesian woman who had backed herself into a corner. The look she wore was one of fear but it didn't hide the hint of smug satisfaction that the giant had stopped the warden from striking her. It was wiped from her face quickly as Evelyn advanced on her again. This time no one made a move to stop her.
"I may not get the satisfaction of backhanding you into the the next age, Isolde, but do not think for a second that you will not answer for your deception." She said through gritted teeth inches from the other woman's face. A hint of sage and rosemary filled the room, the distinct smells of healing magic, causing Evie to turn away from her to see Wynne helping Teagan stand. She was relieved to see that he appeared to be fine. As she took her first step toward him the Orlesian woman bolted past her latching onto his arm and smoothing a hand over his hair.
"Oh Teagan! Teagan! Are you alright?" She exclaimed even as he jerked out of her grip. His sapphire eyes drifted around the room and landed on Evelyn who stood off from the group, her arms across her chest and her eyes burning like hot coals on Isolde.
"I am...better now, I think. My mind is my own again." He said quietly as he turned back toward his brother's wife.
"Blessed Andraste! I would have never forgiven myself had you died!" The woman said, her voice raising as she glanced at the warden. "Not after I brought you here. What a fool I am!"
Evelyn bristled at her implied meaning, her jaw clenching with so much force she thought that she would crack her teeth. She took a few steps toward them fighting the urge to cut out the harpy's lying tongue. She struggled to reign in her anger as the woman continued to speak.
"Please! My son not responsible for this! There must be some way we can save him!" She begged.
Evelyn still didn't trust herself to speak so she cut her eyes over to Alistair. He shrugged. "Well, this has been the first time that she's sounded genuinely concerned since this debacle began." He said dryly.
"We agree on one thing, the child is not to blame." Evie spat. Teagan shook his head and laid a soothing hand on her shoulder. She took a deep breath and continued. "I have no intention of ending a child's life."
The Orlesian woman's shoulders sagged in relief though it was short-lived.
"He is a child no longer. Connor ceased to be the second he let a demon in...he's an abomination."
Evelyn looked to the door to see the mage that she had pumped for information on what was happening in the castle while they were in the dungeons. Though Wynne and Alistair had protested her decision, she had picked the lock to his prison. She knew that he wouldn't run...his remorse for his role in everything that had happened was more than enough assurance of that. The Arlessa flew into a rage the second she heard his voice.
"You!" She screeched as she stabbed an accusing finger at him, "Filthy mage, this is your fault! You did this to my family! My son!"
Jowan shook his head in denial. "No, I didn't! I didn't summon demons here or anywhere, I told you this before!"
Evelyn couldn't take it anymore. "Enough." She said quietly, but the Arlessa and the mage continued to bicker. "I said, enough!" She yelled as she stepped forward and jerked the woman around so she could look at her. The orlesian snarled and shrugged out of the warden's grip but she did not speak.
"I know that he poisoned the Arl and I also know that you hired this apostate to teach Connor to hide the fact that he was a mage. An apostate that was caught and then regained his freedom by the hand of that treacherous pig, Loghain." Evie stated as she watched them both.
Isolde snorted in disdain. "And you would free him after learning this?
"It was my decision to make and I stand by it. He, at least, did not lie to me." Evie replied coolly.
Jowan hung his head and a pained look overtook his face. "I know you have no reason to believe me, and I am truly sorry that I took advantage of your trust...but I want to help. I want to put this right."
Teagan's grip tightened on Evelyn's shoulder. "I will not refuse your offer of help...not yet, anyhow, but if Connor is truly an abomination..." His voice was tinged with sadness as he shook his head.
The Arlessa's eyes widened as she understood his implied meaning. "No! She said that she would not kill him!" She wailed in dismay as she wrung her hands. "He is not always the monster you saw! Sometimes he can fight it and he is my little boy again! Please, I just want to protect my son!" She was sobbing now and Evie couldn't help but feel that this was the first real emotion the woman had ever shown.
Teagan apparently wasn't sold on it. "Isn't that what started this?" He said, the rough edge on his voice enough to cause a little shiver to run down Evie's spine. "You hired the mage to teach him in secret...to protect him. The evidence of where that led is all around us."
She continued to sob pitifully. "If the Chantry knew that he was cursed with magic they would have taken him away from me! I only wanted him to learn enough to hide it, then..."
"Enough...we can point the finger some more after we figure out what to do. What are our options?" Evelyn cut in.
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air and much to her surprise Alistair finally broke it.
He sighed heavily and looked at his feet as he spoke. "I don't think we have any choice...he's an abomination. I loathe the suggestion of killing him...but..."
"He is my nephew, but he is possessed by a demon. As much as it breaks my heart to say, death would be...merciful." Teagan added. His hand left her shoulder to run through his hair in the way he did when he was agitated and when it dropped back to his side her fingers found his and gave a reassuring squeeze. He returned the pressure though his face remained stern.
The apostate cleared his throat. "There is another option...a mage could confront the demon in the fade without hurting Connor. Usually this requires other mages and lyrium but I have...blood magic."
Evie started shaking her head before he even finished his sentence. "No, absolutely not. Blood magic is forbidden for a reason. That is not an option."
The Arlessa ignored her completely "If there is a way, I must know! Tell us how, Jowan, I beg you!"
The mage nodded despite the warden's protest. "Lyrium would generally provide the power needed for the ritual, but I can use someone's life energy to produce that same power. However, it takes a lot of it...all of it, actually."
"So you're saying that someone has to die? Be sacrificed?" Teagan's grip tightened on her hand.
"I said it was not an option, Jowan. No one is being sacrificed." Evie barked.
"I will do it...I will be the sacrifice. I will do anything to save my son."
Teagan's head jerked around to stare at his sister-in-law. "What? Are you insane? Eamon would never allow this, and you know it!"
She sighed and closed her eyes. "Either someone kills my son to destroy the monster inside him or I willingly give my life so that he may live. The answer is clear, Teagan."
"Blood magic." Alistair spat. "How can even more evil be of any help? Two wrong don't make a right. This is foolish, I can't even believe we're listening to this."
"I don't know that he could be trusted, this all makes me very uneasy." Wynne agreed.
The Arlessa's flat brown eyes pleaded with the warden. "Please, my son is blameless in this. He should not have to suffer the consequences."
Teagan pulled Evelyn around to face him taking her other hand into his. His face was a mask of calm but she could see the pain in his sapphire depths. "It...it's up to you, Evie. You know more about things of this nature than I...and it will be your companion going into the fade. I trust you, the decision is yours." He gave her a weak smile.
Her eyes didn't leave his as she spoke. "There has to be another way to enter the fade. Jowan said that we would need lyrium and mages to do the ritual. The circle tower is not far from here and we can find both things there. I recently did a very large favor for them, perhaps they can help."
"Indeed. If we have the time, I don't foresee it being difficult to get what we need." Wynne agreed from behind her.
He pulled her closer to him as he spoke in a low voice. "There won't be much time, he will not be passive forever. If this is your decision I beg of you to make haste, the longer you are away the greater the chances of disaster."
She nodded and brought a hand up to caress his cheek. "I will not delay, my lord." She dropped her hand quickly and turned to look at the apostate. "And what of Jowan?"
"I will keep him here...he says that he wants to help, so he will remain and help us look after Connor."
She nodded and stepped toward her companions, motioning toward the door. "To Kinloch Hold, then."
She stood beside him in silence as they watched the archers fire flaming arrows at the boats drifting down the channel. There had been few deaths during that final night assault, but the numbers from the attacks before her party arrived had been high. She glimpsed Connor and Isolde out of the corner of her eye. The woman had been truly grateful when the boy was spared and had agreed that sending him to the Circle of Magi was what she should have done in the first place. The arrangements had already been made with First Enchanter Irving as he had been one of the mages to accompany her back to Redcliffe.
Teagan's hand slid to the small of her back as he watched the boats go up in flames. He shook his head and let out a long sigh.
"It's a tragedy that it came to this. So many lives lost...homes broken. I wish I could have done more. If you and Alistair hadn't arrived when you did, I shudder to think of what you would have found at a later date."
Evie leaned into his side as he drew her closer. "You would have found a way, Teagan." She said softly.
"Your confidence in me is far greater than I deserve, M'lady." He said turning her away from the dock and urging her toward the town proper. He was quiet for a long stretch as they slowly made their way toward the Inn. "When will you start your search for the ashes?" he finally asked, his face contorting to reflect that he thought the idea was preposterous.
"Dawn," she replied, "We will wait until morning then head to Denerim to seek out this Brother Genitivi and any leads his research will give us. I will keep you informed of our progress by missive."
He nodded as he opened the door to the inn and held it for her. She smirked at the gentlemanly gesture and quickly took a seat at the closest booth lest he pull her chair out as well. She fiddle with her hands as she waited for him to join her and realized that his signet ring was still on her index finger. She took it off and was spinning it idly on the tabletop when he slid into the booth across from her. She caught it with nimble fingers and let it roll into her palm before offering it to him.
"I believe this is yours." She said with a slight grin.
He smiled in return and reached out closing her fingers over the ring, his hand lingering as his thumb caressed the smooth skin of her wrist. "Seal those forthcoming missives with it. You can return it when this is all over. An extra assurance that you will come back to me."
"Afraid that I will see sense and run, my lord?" She questioned, humor glittering in her gaze.
"I hope not," He chuckled warmly, "I would look like a fool trying to chase you down."
"Never fear," she giggled as she slid the ring back on, "I would let you catch me."
Staring into his sapphire depths she loathed the idea of leaving, but duty called. She was really beginning to hate the Cousland family motto with a passion.