Magic
I wake up drenched in sweat, choking on a scream. The brands on my skin pulse slightly, their light subsiding from the stress of the nightmare-no, the memory I had just relived.
I can still feel the phantom manacles around my wrists and ankles. My skin crawls from the sensation of the blades cutting into my flesh and the agony of the lyrium being applied to my skin.
I rub my face with my hands to remind myself I'm not really there. The oppressive darkness of the mansion is too much for me right now.
I crawl out of bed and nearly fall down. My legs feel like rubber. I must have been thrashing in my sleep. I feel exhausted.
I climb up to the roof of the mansion to clear my mind. I can see the hazy light of the coming dawn in the horizon. The breeze cools my body and begins to calm me down. I wrap my arms around my knees and stare towards the Gallows.
I wonder what the mages there think of their confinement. I know what the thoughts of the Abomination, Anders, are about the subject. But he is an idiot, a possessed idiot, at that. He's the embodiment of how magic is a trap for the weak, even the well intentioned. That thought leads to Merrill, stupid Merrill and her blood magic.
I can feel myself grimace.
Both mages tainted, both thinking they were doing some good by consorting with demons. Mages always have some delusion about how they were not going to harm anyone, or how it was "just this once", or that their needs are more important than anyone else's.
But there is always a price for magic. Be it big or small, the mage or those around them, someone always pays the price for magic.
My master wanted a better bodyguard and so I paid. I paid with my past, my freedom, my body and my peace of mind. This broken thing that I am is the price on one vain man's desire.
Someone always pays for magic.
I straighten my back and absently begin my stretching exercises as the sun begins to peeks over the water.
What Danarius doesn't realize is that he is going to pay me back for his magic. He's going to pay me back with everything he's got.